


War Stories

by Noizchild



Series: Wasteland 2011 [20]
Category: D.Gray-man
Genre: BDSM, Child Abuse, F/M, Fallen city, Great Crash, Heaven, Lost Memories, Past life, Private Investigation, Rape/Non-con Elements, War
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-02
Updated: 2018-01-26
Packaged: 2018-12-22 18:59:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 22
Words: 25,028
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11973633
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Noizchild/pseuds/Noizchild
Summary: Sixth volume up. Third and final part of the "Wasteland 2011" trilogy. What is the Great Crash and what caused it? The angels in the Tower, Fallen City, and living world are starting to remember what happened and how they ended up where they are. Meanwhile in Heaven, Komui launches a private investigation about what the Dark Order is hiding about the Great Crash and the war.





	1. Tartarus

War Stories

Key Zero: Tartarus:

What was the Great Crash?

Ten years ago, the apocalypse happened. The Woman in Red was freed and is still roaming the living world. She seems to be looking for something, or someone. Ikebukuro had turned into a poisoned ghost town. Its poison slowly spread through the rest of Tokyo and East Japan. Those still let alive either fled to the sea or got off of the island as soon as the boats were available. Rumors went around about tadpoles among the survivors. It was hard to tell because they looked like normal humans.

But, this story is not about them.

This story is about the angels and the Great Crash.

Tartarus was dragged to Heaven through war. The angels had seen this coming ever since the Woman in Red was first freed. Ikebukuro fell into her poisonous trap like a battered submissive to their dominatrix mistress. The scent of her poison circled to Heaven itself. It didn't take long for the Dark Order to arm their angels to fight the demons looking to take over. Despite being ready, not everything goes as planned. The Woman in Red's army was stronger than the last time the Great Beast trapped her in the Land of the Dead. She had time to strengthen her powers while she was locked away.

It took four hundred days for this war to happen. In the beginning, the angels had the upper hand. The Dark Order had used their time quite wisely with advancing their technology. They only sent out their best to the battle front. It looked like the war would be over in five days.

So, what happened?

The angels in present day are starting to remember, but only in pieces. Only a small amount of angels remain in Heaven. Some of them are still looking for the angels lost in the Great Crash. They have no way to look in the Fallen City. Every day, the angel of death searches in the living world while making her rounds. She's looking for Allen. The angel of death is one of the few people that won't give up hope. Her brother can't tell her otherwise. The only thing he can do is go along with her notions and gently convince her to give up on her search for Allen.

In truth, her brother knows where Allen is. He's known for a year and half. He can't bring himself to tell his sister the truth. The angel of death might do something rash and end up trapped in the Fallen City too. If that happened, there would be no more death. The world was crumbling further because of the Woman in Red. They needed as much normalcy as they could get. No, her brother needed to keep the angel of death do her job. Meanwhile, he and the elders were quietly trying to break through the barrier blanketing the Fallen City. For the past five years, there has been no success.

It's not just Allen either.

There's another motive at play. The brother has some idea, but he's not allowed to talk about it. However, not all angels ended up in the Fallen City. What about those in the living world? Heaven's been tracking them for quite some time now. Why haven't they brought them in? The angel of death's brother is starting to ask more questions for himself.

Meanwhile, the angels in the Fallen City and the living world are starting to remember how things got so messed up. They feel Heaven has abandoned them. But, Allen refuses to give up. Even as Aizen takes over his brain and body, he's still trying to back to Heaven. Sometimes, he can still the voices of his dead comrades. The dream of freedom is the only thing that keeps him going.

It's not just him anymore.

Others are starting to get back more of their memories. Not just of the war and the Great Crash, but of their lives as humans. How did they become angels? How did this mess go out of hand? Their questions might be the key to ending their suffering. But in order for that to happen, their memories have to completely come back. The question then becomes do they even want to remember.

Countless number of angels ended up lost in the war. The Dark Order is still trying to sort through who all is dead or missing. They keep trying to organize everything, but the load keeps on piling up. The brother of the angel of death is starting to see a pattern. Or maybe, he already saw it and didn't want to acknowledge it until now. He can't erase the memories of war from his head. All of that blood. All of those bodies.

There was another meeting today. He can predict what the higher-ups are going to say. The problem is that Heaven is still spent and the war hasn't really stopped. That's right. Just because the Great Crash happened two years ago doesn't mean that the war stopped. In fact, the living world is still feeling the effects of the Great Crash. Even the angels in Heaven doubt they will ever recover from it. But, there are now more pressing problems.

"There is a darkness stirring in London," one of the angels said. The brother of the angel of death happened to hear this in passing. He had been used to the rumors of the living world falling apart because of the Woman in Red. But this felt different. The higher-ups had the data to back up the rumors. Judging by what the read on the paper, they could make the war even worse. It was around this time that the higher-ups realized there were still the nightcomers around in England. Still, they aren't the only problem.

It all keeps going back to the war and the Great Crash. The war had been prepared for ever since the fourth gate was opened in Ikebukuro. But, no expected the Great Crash. It all leads back to the same question as before.

What was the Great Crash?

To get the full answer, we need to cycle back to the beginning. But where to start in the beginning? Following the chord to the source doesn't help if the cord is already tangled up. It will probably take a while to sort through the pieces and put it together for a clear picture. But, the journey to the truth takes hard work. It doesn't come along so easily either. One can either give up and stay with it.

The angels have no choice but to stay on the path to free themselves from their misery. Slowly all of the memories are coming back. They remember how this all started. Through that, they hear something else calling them. The angels don't know it, but those are the cries of Tartarus.

Their journey home for the truth begins today.


	2. Allen

Key One: Allen:

His mind is in two places.

His mistress forced her into that mind set.

The sheets smelt like blood. Maybe that occurred last night. But, he could be smelling it from the time that he was in the war. Her fingertips traced down his throat. She's saying, but he could only hear screaming. Screaming from the angels getting slaughtered on the battlefield. Screaming from his own mouth. Screaming from the angels in the basement.

He saw himself back on the battlefield. Six hours of waiting came before the enemy attacked that day. Nothing came up on the monitors. Strange thing was the Dark Order ran maintenance and upgrades on all of the equipment from the night before. There was no way the enemy could've gained the upper hand that fast from the last battle.

She climbed on top of him. He couldn't escape her. She took his wings. She took his power. Now, she's taking away his mind. As a result, he's impaled in a limbo with his mind here and on the battlefield.

He still had his identity and his goal to escape. Aizen hadn't reached that part of him yet. But how long before that changed? This parasite acted like a slow moving inoperable cancer. It consumed blood as fast as its body could produce. Tonight, Aizen had its way with his body.

Her lips pressed against his. He struggles to resist, but Aizen keeps making that next to impossible. Just the slightly touch from the opposite sex aroused him. She looked down at his lap and smirked.

"Excited tonight, aren't you?" she asked.

He wants to shout, "No!" He screams it with his eyes. That only excites her even more. His resistance means nothing. He wouldn't have it very long. What was she planning to do him tonight? Her hand moved down to his tight leather pants.

"I've got a little present for you," she whispered. She reached over to her dark purple nightstand and pulled out a cock ring.

"This will make things more interesting," she purred. She slid down the ring, not in a normal way, inch by inch. His body jumped in his restraints. Her smirking made it much worse. She licked her lips.

"You like this, don't you?" she asked. He turned his head away, face bright red. Small twitches ran through his body. His eyes moved over to her special closet. Her toys screamed, "Use me! Use me!" And use them she shall.

She sat up over him. He must have looked so pitiful to her. But, she knew that she hadn't won yet. As long as he desired to escape, she knew that she would never fully have him. Moments like this drew him back to the battlefield.

At 10:21 a.m., the Great Crash began.

The sky was clear and supposed to stay that way for the rest of the day. One angel private happened to look up and see black clouds.

"What is that?"

That was the first mistake.

"Huh?"

"It's just a bunch of storm clouds."

The private shook his head. "Those aren't storm clouds." Before anyone could speak, a dull buzzing filled their ears. As the sky grew darker, the tide started to turn against them.

"Do you hear that?"

It was him who first saw it too late. "Everyone! We have to get out of here!"

"What do you mean?" his fellow soldiers asked. By the time they looked up, the buzzing grew louder. It almost sounded like shells clanging together.

His mind was pulled back into the present before he could remember what came next.

She wouldn't be satisfied with just whipping him tonight. He could see it in her eyes. In a way, he could predict what she would do next. But, it still managed to surprise and scare him. Tonight could go any way that she wanted. Maybe some knife play? Maybe make him into an animal? Maybe dress him up like a girl and make him engage in humiliation?

Scary that he was starting to know that different kinks of BDSM in such a short time.

_Okay then. You can't really surprise me anymore. Do your worse._

Wish granted.

She got up and walked over to the kinky closet. His eyes widened as she opened the door.

"I want to see how much Aizen has affected you," she said. He noticed a black leather and wool blindfold in her hand. Where was she going with this? He had a guess, but didn't see what would follow next. Not a whip this time. But, the unknowing…

She walked over and wrapped the blindfold around his eyes. She worked the knot tight enough to keep it in place. Naked, restrained, and now blinded.

"Perfect," she purred. Her hand ran down his body. A small chill ran up his body. Aizen seemed to be jumping up and down. Teeth gazed against his collarbone. Such a genteel touch made him gasp. He predicted this to be a trap. She was not one to engage in sweet and tender. He bit down on his lower lip. The crawling around in his brain pushed his libido into a run.

_I can't let her see that I am enjoying this. I won't give in._

He trembled at the sensation of lips on his throat. His breathing grew heavier as her lips slowly moved down to his chest. He gasped as the kiss hardened into sucking.

_Oh…_

He began to feel an ache in his loins as she moved down to his stomach. Her teeth sank into his skin. She doesn't play with her bites either. She wants him to feel the pain. But, that wasn't the only thing she was going for tonight.

Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip.

_Wait! What… What is this? This… This is…_

She snickered as more drops fell on his skin. His body wriggled at the cold liquid landing on it. Aizen ran around, looking for more blood. The drops moved just above his erect loins. They became faster and more frequent.

"Cold!" he yelped. She laughed before wrapping a gag around his mouth. Naked, bound, erect, and now gagged.

"I do like your screams," she said. "But I want to save that for the best part." His whole body froze. He let out muzzled cries as the cold drops landed on the head of his erection. The restraints would not give. One more drop and Aizen took over his mind. Moans erupted from the ball gag in his mouth.

"Do you want me to fuck you?" she asked. He reluctantly nodded. He could feel her hot breath against his ear.

"How bad do you want it?" she asked. He groaned as loud as he could through his gag. The rough and heated tongue was the straw that broke him. His screamed as his body jumped. The drool-covered gag was taken from his mouth. He let out a choked-out cough, but she wouldn't let him rest. Still blindfolded, he moaned as she rode him for the newest time. He had lost count of how many times she had done this. She didn't tease him by going slow either. Pound after pound made him see something that he had been fighting against ever since Aizen was forced into his body.

_I… This… This is…_

She slowed to a stop on top of him. He could feel her eyes locked on him.

"Are you sure you want me to stop?" she asked. "I can if you want me to." Her cold tone spent chills down his spine. He quickly shook his head.

"No?" she asked.

"No!" he yelped. "Please… More… I need… Need more… Please?" She gave him a quick kiss on the lips.

"Would you like to cum?" she asked. He nodded with such pathetic need. She smirked over his head. His loins felt freed as the tight ring was lifted from the hardened skin. She mounted him and resumed her ride. He threw back his head and screamed.

"I can't take it anymore!" he cried. He broke down into his release. It didn't take her long to reach her climax. His whole body felt drained. He didn't even respond when her hot breath turned his ear lobe.

"Where is your god now?" she whispered. She removed his blindfold and licked him on the cheek. He had no life in his eyes.

Part of his mind went back to the Great Crash.

He and his comrades didn't get time to see it all unfold. His memory was still repressing more details about that day. But he could smell of that blood. He had been smelling it more and more frequently. There was definitely blood on the ground that morning. The Great Crash went on for three days, but he could've sworn it was longer. He remembered crawling around in the grass and mud. He couldn't see the enemies' faces or where they were attacking. The only thing he remembered seeing flashes in the darkness and hiding under the dead and broken bodies of angels.

The fallen angel soldiers were left out in the battlefield for days. Underneath the bodies piled high, he could see the gray snow falling. Or was that ash? He wasn't so sure anymore. The last thing he could remember was a clawed gray hand reaching for his face and pulling him out through the crushed pile.

Tonight, he closed his eyes. He wanted to laugh, but he couldn't bring himself to move.

Glorified whore. That's what she turned him into. From a soldier to a glorified whore.

A tear ran down Allen's cheek.


	3. Komui

Key Two: Komui:

-Heaven-

During this recent check of the files, he noticed that something didn't add up. He must have read that file over a million times. Why did it show up now? His eyes began to hurt tonight.

"You're still here?" a voice asked.

"Hm?" he asked as he looked up. Miranda stood in the doorway of his office.

"Heh, I could ask you the same thing," Komui said.

"I was after to stay behind for work," she said.

"Ah," he said. "Hey, Miss Miranda."

"Yeah?" she asked.

"You weren't on the battlefield, were you?"

Miranda shook her head. "No. I was just the support."

"Of course."

The time angel eyed him. "Why do you ask?" Komui shook his head.

"No reason," he said, waving her off. "I was just thinking out loud. Did you want anything?" Miranda shook her head.

"No," she said. "Good night." Komui watched as she walked away. He looked back down at his papers. His job was simple. Collet the data of who was missing and report it. Until two years ago, he didn't question it. But after Allen disappeared, Lenalee insisted on looking for him. The higher-ups did everything in their power to stop her.

"If you end up lost, death will cease to happen," they warned her. "We need you here in Heaven." Still, Lenalee wouldn't stop looking for Allen in the loving world. Komui decided to take it upon himself and look for the lost angel to stop his sister from going any further in her search.

"I'll take care of it," he promised. "You just need to focus on your job." That seemed to calm her down for the time being. Komui decided to go about this quietly. He asked three angels in his branch to help him with the matter.

"It's for my sister's sake," he told them. The angels were happy to help out Lenalee.

Komui sat back and rubbed his forehead. The death records piled high on his desk. That was just it. All death records. Where were all of the missing files? The last one was dated before the Great Crash. Did Heaven just stop recording all of the missing? Komui looked over the dates from two years ago compared to the latest death count. That couldn't be right. What happened to those files? Thousands of files couldn't disappear without somebody noticing. His fellow angels saw the same thing.

"Anything?" Komui asked early this morning. They had to meet up in the corners of the garden for this investigation. Bak Chang handed him a black file.

"It's like you said," he said in a low voice. "There are  _many_ files missing." Komui opened the folder and looked inside. As suspected, disappearances after the Great Crash weren't listed. It just listed who was dead. The last name listed as missing was a "Haru". Komui tilted his head.

"Who is Haru?" he asked.

"That's the thing," a female angel said. "There are no records of an angel named Haru." Komui lifted his head.

"What are you talking about?" he asked. "Heaven has always documented everyone who comes here through its gates. Has anyone ever seen this Haru?" His other three angels shook their heads.

"Hm," Komui said. He looked at the names on the list. He saw Allen and Lavi's names on the list as missing. There had been much debate about Lavi's official status. Some of the angels believed him to be dead. Bookman went to look for the MIA angel, but hadn't come back.

That left the question of the Fallen City.

Komui looked at his team. "Do any of you have to work right now?"

"Yes," Bak said.

"You are excused," Komui said. "Anyone else?"

"My shift is in ten minutes," the third male angel said.

"I'm free," the female angel said.

"Alright," Komui said. "I will need you to come with me and look at something."

"Yes," she said bowing. Bak and the other male angel headed back to their posts.

* * *

Komui poured over the death reports. Oh yes, the world didn't stop. In fact, it got worse after the Great Crash. The angel armies kept dropping worse than flies. Japan was almost completely devastated. The Woman in Red was heading for Okinawa last time she was tracked. Heaven couldn't take their eyes off of her, not for one second. It could be seen why the higher-ups weren't so focused on the Fallen City as much as they were with the war and the Woman in Red.

But still, something didn't add up.

Komui was about to doze off when his phone rang.

"Hello?" he asked.

"Are you still in your office?" the female angel on his team asked.

"Yeah, what did you find?" Komui asked.

"Where do you want me to begin?" she whispered over the phone. "I have so much just in today alone." Komui quickly shifted his eyes back and forth.

"What do you have on 'Haru?'" he asked. "Can you say it over the phone? You know what, where are you right now?"

"My apartment," she said.

"Good," the male angel said. "I will be over there in twenty minutes."

"Is all this sneaking around necessary? Can't we ask the higher-ups for help on this?" his colleague asked. Komui rubbed his forehead.

"I would like to keep this investigation as quiet as possible," he said. "It might all be nothing, but I want to do this so I can get Lenalee to stop worrying so much about all."

"So this is about your sister?"

"Part of it. I swear it."

"How is she, by the way?"

"Fine. She's preoccupied with Allen. But at least she's doing her job for the time being."

"Good, good."

"Listen, stay there where you are. Don't open the door unless it is me, do you understand?"

"Do you want me to leave the front light on for you?"

"Yes."

"Alright, I will wait by the door for you."

"Thank you. I will see you there. Goodbye."

"Goodbye."

Komui hung up and disconnected the scrambler on the chord. He couldn't be too careful, he told himself. After shoving the scrambler into his pocket, the angel gathered up the files and wiped the search results on his computer. After one more look around the room, he turned off the light and walked out of the office. Here was hoping that his colleague would have the breakthrough he needed with this "Haru" angel.


	4. Harry

Key Three: Harry:

Was it possible for angels to remember their human lives?

Harry begins to wonder this as he and Tyrone wandered further into the city. He froze when lights flashed his eyes.

There was a pier. Or maybe it was boardwalk. He couldn't tell through all of that red in the vision. He could hear the seagulls in the distance. The red seemed to overpower the blue in the sky.

"Harry?" a voice asked. "Harry? Harry?!" The one-armed angel turned his head. Tyrone tilted his head.

"You okay, man?" the dark-skinned angel asked. Harry stared at him at first before he slowly nodded.

"Uh… yeah…" the angel said. "Say, Ty."

"Yeah?" he asked.

Harry shook his head. "It's nothing. I think I'm losing my mind out here." He looked around at the vast emptiness of the city. What did he just see?

"Where are we?" Harry asked.

"No clue," Tyrone said. The one-armed angel could hear howling around them. He was used to the screaming. They all were at this point.

But this time, he heard something else.

A woman laughed. Not a laugh of mockery, she seemed really happy. Harry tried to see her face. He could only see her smiling. She said something to him. The angel couldn't hear or understand her. He could've sworn that she said that she loved him.

Harry rubbed his head.

"Damn," he mumbled.

"You okay?" Tyrone asked.

"No," Harry said.

"Want to rest?"

"No."

"No?"

"Let's just keep going." Harry rubbed his forehead. Tyrone stared at him uneasily.

"Alright," he said. The one-armed angel has heard her voice before. Not when they were angels either.

"Ty," Harry said.

"Yeah?" Tyrone asked.

"Can you remember when you were human?" the pale angel asked. His friend gave him a confused stare.

"Why?" he asked. Harry shook his head.

"How long have we been out here?" he asked.

"I don't know," Tyrone said. His friend leaned against his body.

"I just think I'm going crazy out here," Harry said. "I keep seeing things. Have we ever seen a beach before in our lives?"

"A beach?" the dark-skinned angel asked. His friend nodded. He rubbed his forehead as more memories flooded his head. Only, they weren't happiness at a pier or beach.

He could smell blood.

Gun fire ripped through the air. Harry could see himself on the battlefield. He didn't want to be there. His division was supposed to be cannon fodder for a problem that was supposed to be a "little battle". Just fight and come back into Heaven.

They all fell for such a lie.

It didn't stop with one battle. Harry lost count of how many battles were fought before he fell to the Fallen City. When did that happen? Remembering made his head hurt.

"Harry?" Tyrone asked. His voice sounded so distant. Harry saw himself with a gun strapped to his back. The Dark Order hid something about this war. They swore it would be over in six days. That turned into six weeks. Twelve weeks. Three months. Six months. One year. Two years. Three years. Six years. They didn't know anymore. But, Harry saw the writing on the wall.

"Ty," Harry said in a low voice.

"What?" his friend asked. Harry looked him in the eye.

"We were in a war before we came here. Do you remember that?" he said. The dark-skinned angel frowned.

"A war?" he asked. "What do you mean?" Harry took him by the cheeks.

"Try to think back," he said. "I was there. The Dark Order lied to us."

"Dark Order? Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yes. You have to try and remember. I don't and I can't stop it." As Harry spoke, more images flashed in his head. He could remember the sun on that day. Was it that blood red ever? He shook his head to himself.

"There was a war," he said again. Tyrone slowly nodded.

"Okay," he said. "I believe you. There was a war. Who were you fighting?" Harry shook his head.

"I don't know," he said.

"Where was this war?"

"I don't remember." Harry's body trembled before he collapsed over his shoulder. Tyrone was quick to push him back up.

"Whoa, easy there, man!" he said. When the one-armed angel looked up, he looked so pale with his face covered in sweat.

"Dude," Tyrone said. "Stay with me, bro." Harry's vision began to blur as two opposing images formed in his head.

He found himself back at the boardwalk again. The bright red overwhelmed his senses. This time, there was a woman at the end of the pier connected to the boardwalk. Her dress was as red as everything else. She appeared to be waiting for him. (Or, at least he thought it was him.) Were they supposed to meet and for what purpose?

There were people talking. One of them was his voice, to him. Harry couldn't hear what they were saying, but he took a guess.

"Waiting long?" he asked. The faceless woman shook her head.

"Shall we get going?" Harry asked.

"Yes," the woman said. They began their walk down the pier.

His mind flashed back onto the battlefield. Explosions went off around his head. Someone was yelling to get down. The flashes made his eyes sting. Harry could hear something above his head. When he looked up, the sky became a rush of red. The smell of gun powder and blood made his stomach turn. Harry had never been a soldier. The Dark Order forced him into that role. They put him in the lowest rank of the army. Heaven believed this would be a short war.

But somehow, someone gave the enemy a tip and gave them the advantage.

"Harry! Harry! Harry!" he heard back in real life. The one-armed angel only came back when someone grabbed him on his boney shoulder. He jumped and turned. Tyrone stared at him.

"Please don't look at me like that," Harry pleaded.

"I think we should take a rest," the dark-skinned angel. "All of this wandering is getting to you." Harry shook his head.

"No, it's not our wandering," he said. "I don't know what it is."

"I still think we need to rest," Tyrone insisted. Harry looked around at the vast emptiness.

"Are you sure that it's safe to do that out here?" he asked. "I remember that there's a small town nearby us. We might be able to see it when the ebbs." Tyrone raised his eyebrow.

"You sure?" he asked.

"Yeah, look up," Harry said, pointing up behind them. His friend turned to see a tall, wooden pole standing in the middle of nowhere. He noticed a whitish-blue tie at the top of the pole.

"Around seven, the sand will blow away and reveal the top," Harry added.

"Think you can hold out that long?" Tyrone asked.

"Maybe we can sit down," his friend said.

"Good idea," the dark-skinned angel said. They walked over to a sand ditch and sat down in it. Harry rested his head on the ground.

"This feels nice," he murmured.

"I'll be right here with you," Tyrone said. "You just lie there and go to sleep." Harry closed his eyes and started dozing off. His head felt much calmer now.


	5. Cricket

Key Four: Cricket:

Most angels don't remember when they were human. Cricket does, however.

-Cricket-

I remember was born in Ireland. My early life is a foggy haze. I grew up in a bad neighbourhood, that much I remember. There was a mother and brother. I don't think there was a father. We didn't have any money. But, mum worked as hard as she could. I don't remember my family's faces or what they sounded like. Mum loved to sing. I don't know anything else about her. I don't know what happened to her either. I don't remember much about my brother either.

What do I remember?

It's quite hard to say. But, there is one memory that makes me shudder. I remember the night was violated.

I was fifteen the time. Maybe I was younger. This took place in a hot night in July. I think I was walking back from church at the time. Mum warned me not to walk home alone at night. At the time, the Irish mob overran the city. (Yes, they were a real thing. I think they still do, but only from the shadows.) They were some of the nastiest bastards out there. The town was almost poor because of them. They took food and milk and charged it too high. Young women were pimped out on the streets in the city. Most of the men ended up in the hospital because they crossed the mob in the wrong way. Children walking around at night disappeared. My neighbourhood grew worse because of the mob. It didn't help that wannabe gangsters were on the rise around that time. Those guys caused the worst trouble. Theft, destruction of property, violence. Mum talked about moving away at one point. Sadly, we didn't have the money at the time.

But, back to the point. How did I end up violated?

I don't want to tell it, but it has to come out.

It had gotten dark by the time I left church. I knew wasn't supposed to be walking home after dark. But, I needed to get home. I decided to take a quick shortcut in hopes of avoiding the mob or the gangs. Initially, I planned on walking along the lit street. It would be longer, but at least it wouldn't be dark.

"Heading home that way?" a nun asked as I started leaving the dried church garden.

"Yes," I said.

"That looks like a long way to go," she said. "I would feel better if you took a quicker way home."

"But…" I said.

"I will get you a lantern to walk with," the nun said. She walked into the church. When she came back, she handed me a bright orange lantern. The nun lit up the inside.

"There," she said. "Take the street down Commonwell. It will get you there faster."

"Thank you," I said. I turned and walked out of the garden. During the day, this path wasn't so bad. It doesn't even look that long. I've been down this path many times. I even have it drawn out in my head. Walk out of the church garden, go right, go through the alley behind the Red Iris pub, squeeze through a hole in a wooden fence, and back out onto the street. There is a graveyard part to this, but I wasn't brave enough to go there at night. Either way, I would be back at my neighborhood before midnight.

This shortcut looked so much different in the dark. The lights on the streets called me to come towards them, but I remembered the nun's strict instructions. I took in a deep breath and turned right towards the darkness. As I normally did, I counted how many steps it would take me to get home. I tried not to look around as I walked through the alley. That night, the stars weren't even out. They probably were there, but I was more focused on trying to go home. I did good until I got halfway through the alley.

That's when the plan fell apart.

I had gotten just behind the Red Iris pub when I heard moaning from outside. I probably should have walked away, but curiosity got the better of me. I peeked in through the cracked back window. A man dressed in a nice suit sat on the sofa with his head thrown back, moaning. Another man was on all-fours in front of him. Six more guys stood around, stone-faced with shades on.

"Oh fuck!" the seated man groaned. He reached down and grabbed the other man by his short hair.

"More, more!" he cried. What was I looking at? I recognized the moaning man as McShane. This man was what nightmare were made out of. He was ruthless and many people disappeared because of him. He called his men his dogs. If they were loyal, he rewarded them. Think about betraying him, you were dead. McShane and his crew's control stretched from the city to the outskirts of my neighborhood. When they walked by, everyone closed their doors and windows. Mum warned me about even looking at him.

"If you see McShane, run the other way," she told me. I should've done that last night. But, I found myself fascinated by this side of McShane. I had heard rumors that he was gay. Some even added that he liked young boys along with gorgeous young men. Nobody questioned this rumors for fear of not coming home alive. But, I still couldn't stop watching. It felt so strange to be watching Dublin's most feared mob boss getting sucked off in a closed down pub. He dug his nails into the leather couch he sat on.

"Fuck!" he shouted. "You are so good! More! More!" I couldn't turn away. In fact, I didn't know how to react. I just stood there with jaw to the ground. Something inside of me told me to back away and go home. I was about to do that when I stepped on a think was an empty bottle and fell on the ground on my behind.

"What was that?" I heard through my pain. I didn't get time to react because of my pain.

"Ow," I mumbled under my breath. I didn't know where my lantern went. I was about to look for it when I heard heavy breathing over my head. Against my better judgment, I slowly looked up. Three of those men from inside the pub stood over me grinning.

_Oh crap…_

One of them grabbed me by the hair and started to drag me inside. I screamed as my knees scraped across the cobblestone. Another mobster kicked me in the stomach.

"Shut up, brat!" he hissed. I gave it my all not to scream anymore. When I lifted my head, I saw McShane sitting on that couch with his cock still out and a curious look on his face.

"And what do we have here?" he asked.

"We found this little girl outside of the pub spying on us," one of the thug answered. I flinched when he said "girl". Even for my age, I still looked like a girl. My voice had dropped, but I still sounded kind of like a female. Plus, I was still a really skinny kid.

"What shall we do with her, boss?" another thug asked. McShane stood up and walked over to me. He lifted my cheek and took one good look at my face. I prayed he would just let me go. Like that would ever happen. I tightly shut my eyes and prayed harder anyway.

McShane smirked.

"Looks like we have a new toy to play with," he said. When I looked up, the thugs all smirked like hungry animals.  _No… No!_

Two of them stripped me of all of my clothes. The rest of the men looked shocked when they my naked genitals.

"Boyd," McShane said.

"Yes?" a big, muscled man built like a tank replied.

"You said this was a girl," McShane said, tilting his head.

"Well, he looked like a girl," Boyd said. "You still want to play with him?" My eyes widened as the boss licked his lips.

"You know, I would," McShane said. "Him being a boy makes this much better." The other thugs snickered. The boss took his seat back on the couch as I was pushed down onto all fours in front of him. He grabbed me by the hair.

"Suck me off good, bitch!" he hissed. Another one of thugs forced my mouth open wide, allowing McShane to shove his big cock inside. I thought I would choke on the size and taste. My eyes welled up with tears as I started sucking.

"Let me guess, this is your first time, isn't it?" McShane asked. He smirked and smacked me hard on the back. I cried out around his cock.

"Doyle, you're good with virgins, aren't you?" McShane asked. A muscled, slender man stepped out of the shadows.

"Why, yes, boss," he said with his deep voice. The boss' eyes trailed down to me.

"Looks like our little friend here will need some motivation to improve his skills," he purred.

"We still have Vaseline left, boss?" Doyle asked.

"But of course," McShane said. "It's on the bar." I heard footsteps walk over to the left. The pop of a lid. Footsteps walking over to me. A zipper unzipping. McShane patted me on the head in mocking way.

"There, there," he said. "Doyle here's gonna fuck you in the ass. Maybe that will make you suck faster." My eyes widened as he laughed. I cried out around his cock as two fat fingers were shoved into my hole. He pushed them in deeper.

"How far in do you want me to go in?" Doyle asked.

"As far as you want," McShane said. "I want this to be really interesting. This brat owes me for a climax that I didn't get from the last guy." I glanced over to my right and saw the other guy lying on the floor huddled up. McShane smacked me on the head.

"I did not tell you to stop!" he barked. "Keep sucking!" I had no choice as Doyle's fingers were rammed in deeper. When he removed them, I felt relief. But, that ended up being short lived. The pain shot through my mind and body as Doyle shoved his cock into my hole. It was enough to make me suck McShane off faster.

"Ah!" the boss shouted. "This is more like it! Oh! More!"

"He's tight," Doyle said behind me. "He really is a virgin."

"You can still fit, yeah?" McShane asked.

"Hell yes!" the thug said.

"Good, now fuck him in silence," the boss said. He threw back his head and moaned. Doyle started pounding faster. I had no choice but to keep up or risk more beatings. Heavy tears ran down my cheeks.

"Oh, yes!" McShane yelled. "More! More! Oh! I can't hold it!" I about choked when he exploded in my mouth. Doyle exploded behind me as well. Both men pulled out, panting. I trembled as McShane looked down at me.

"This one's a great shag!" he said. "You guys can have him next. Leave his ass for me last." His goons cheered like wild animals. Boyd walked up to me and grabbed me by the hair.

"Which end should I abuse first?" he asked.

"Your choice," McShane said. "I already want another go at him." Boyd shrugged and threw me down onto floor on my stomach. My legs were spread far apart before he pushed himself into my hole. He showed me no mercy just as Doyle did. All seven men had their turn with me. I thought their abuse would never end. They violated me and grabbed me by the hair countless number of times. I couldn't tell if I was bleeding or if it was their cum in me anymore. All I could do was pray that it would be over soon.

When McShane pulled out for the last time, he urinated all over me. By that time, I felt so dead inside. My eyes probably looked so empty as I breathed heavily. I could barely see my abuser's face as he stood over me in front of the dim light overhead. When he finished peeing on me, McShane smirked.

"Thanks for the shag," he said. "You were really entertaining." He and his men walked away laughing. More tears streamed down my face as I lay on the floor covered in sweat, blood, and cum.

I wouldn't be found until morning.

* * *

-Present Day-

Cricket lay on a bed of empty match boxes and dirt in Tate's room. He had his arm over his forehead.

"Hey, Tate," he said. His leader and companion turned to him from the window.

"What?" he asked.

"If I die," the smaller angel said. "Could you eat my body?"

"Where did this come from?"

"Please? Just start with my heart first and then eat the rest? Please? Do it for me?"

Tate sighed. "Alright. I will eat you after you die."

Cricket closed his eyes. "Thank you, Tate."

"Yeah, yeah," the older angel muttered.


	6. Alma

Key Five: Alma:

She never saw the battlefield.

No, she was on the support team with Miranda. They tended to injured soldiers, delivered messages, and provide back-up to the soldiers on the battlefield. Miranda was her branch's second-in-command. The angel struggled to keep her team in line, but Alma had faith in her.

-Present Day-

"Marion," she said.

"Yeah?" the other angel asked in the cage.

"Do you remember a time before we got here?" Alma asked.

"No… why?" Marion asked. The other angel shook her head. Her dear friend narrowed her eyes at her.

"What's on your mind?" she asked. Alma shook her head. Her mind wandered back to different memories that had recently surfaced in her mind.

"Alma? Alma?" Marion asked. Her voice sounded so far away.

* * *

-Seven Years Ago-

Her memories jumped around in her head.

She too used to be human. What her life was like then, she didn't have a clear picture of yet. Did she have a happy childhood? Who were her parents? Was she an only child? Herself as a child was blurry. People looked like stick figures. There were dolls, how many, she couldn't tell. There was singing in her life. There words blended in with the empty silence over her head. Remembering that song brought tears to her eyes.

She was definitely married when she was human. Warm filled her chest when she saw herself in that white lace wedding dress. She remembered that she loved her husband. He took care of her. The day they wed looked so green. She thought it was a sun shower on that day. He made some comment about the devil beating his wife. They vowed to honor and love each other. But there was a slight problem.

Back in those times, their marriage and love were forbidden. Nobody came to their wedding, in fact. He didn't care. He wanted to shout their love to the world. His face changed all of the time in her mind now that her memories were coming back. Sometimes, there was no face and other times he looked like the man who saved her in the Fallen City.

Ah, him.

-Five Years Ago-

She didn't remember the war itself.

But she did remember him.

He took care of her in the Fallen City. She didn't remember how she got there. She could barely open her eyes with so much mud in them. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't get up. She thought would stuck there in the mud. Imagine her shock when someone pulled her out of the mud and carried her off. She didn't get time to think about what was going to happen to her next. Through her mud-clouded vision she could only see where she had been. She turned her head, but could only see a head of hair and a nape.

They didn't stop moving until they went into a place slightly cooler. He sat her down on stiff sheets.

"Stay right here," he told her. "I'm going to help you get cleaned up." His footsteps leaving her made her stomach turn. Would he leave her alone in this room? She couldn't stop shaking.

She felt herself picked up and carried out of the room. She jumped when cold water hit her skin. Her vision became clear when a cloth was rubbed across her face. Her savior finally had a face. She couldn't remember when she had seen such lovely brown eyes. Her cheeks turned a bright pink. His voice sounded muzzled, but she understood what he was asking.

"Are you alright?" he asked. She wanted to answer him, but no words were forming in her head. He said his name and then asked for her.

"Alma," she said. But, it came out in a weak whisper. He couldn't hear her and it didn't matter at the time. It looked like she would be staying with him for a while.

Being around him provided a warmth that she thought that she had forgotten. They acted like husband and wife in the run-down hotel they were hiding in. He gave her little gifts of anything that he could find in the city. She would smile and treasure them with her heart. They couldn't help but feel like they had known each other from before. Little flashes of memories of them together in the green getting married appeared in their minds. Could they have been dreams? She voiced this thought one day.

"You too?" he asked. His reaction threw her for a loop.

"Yes," she said. He took her by the hands.

"What do you think it could mean?" he asked. They never did get to find the answer. For she was taken away to the Tower by the monsters. They thought she was so pretty and had to have her in Paradise. He ran after them to try and get her back, but they pushed him off. The last she saw of him was him tumbling to the dirt, reaching out for her, screaming her name.

Once she disappeared into the Tower, her nightmares began.

* * *

-Present Day-

"Alma? Alma?!" Marion asked, shaking her. The other angel looked up with tears in her eyes. The paler woman stared at her with concerned eyes.

"Baby, what's the matter?" Marion asked. Alma whimpered and closed her eyes.

"I think I used be married," she said. More tears ran down her cheeks. The other angel gave her a strange look.

"What?" she asked. The heavy doors slid open. The angels looked up to see who the next victim was going to be.


	7. Records

Key Six: Records:

Komui couldn't understand it. How could so many files go missing after the Great Crash? How did the higher-ups not notice? They couldn't be the ones involved in a malicious cover-up, could they? Komui shook his head. The higher-ups wouldn't do something like that, would they? He turned around when he felt a hand on his shoulder. The female official shook her head. Komui drew his mouth closed.

"Right," he said. "Did you want something?"

"Are you okay to do this?" she asked.

"Yes," he said in a low voice. The female angel took in a deep breath.

"Okay," she said. They turned back to their notes.

"What are we looking for?" the female angel asked.

"I don't know..." Komui said. His mind went back to the Great Crash two years ago.

* * *

Komui led the South unit in the war. It was his job to send out the troops, make the reports, and send them back to Heaven. The deadline to report back would be six in the evening. At the same time, that when the battles would end. The angels couldn't wrap their head around their faceless enemy. They couldn't question it because the higher-ups lacked the knowledge needed to answer. Ikebukuro and most of Tokyo had been dead for months. The rest of the Woman in Red's poison had an iron grasp on Japan itself. It was too late to save that country, but maybe they could stop the rest of the world from sharing Japan's same fate.

At the time of the Great Crash, Komui's team was on patrol. For days, nothing came up. Still, he couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't right. It's been quiet, too quiet. He had his own questions, but everyone assured him that it would be alright.

"You're imagining things," they told him. "Relax, it's fine." Still, his instinct was saying, "Not so fast." The whole day, he expected the other shoe to drop hard. In the meantime, he buried himself in more paperwork. Komui happened to look outside his office window.

"That can't be right," he said. "It's not supposed to rain today." It didn't take long for the angel to figure out something was wrong. When he did, Komui jumped up from his chair and ran out the door.

* * *

The female angel looked over the files.

"What will you do once you find what you are looking for?" she asked. Komui shook his head.

"I have no idea yet," he said. He looked through the files again. "Say, what division did you lead?"

"The East unit."

"What was the weather like on your end?"

The female angel gave him a strange look. "Why?"

"Please. This is really important. What was the weather like?"

His colleague dug in her brain for an answer. "It was really bright and sunny then."

"Were there thick black clouds?" Komui asked. She shook her head.

"No?" he asked.

"There wasn't a cloud in the sky," the female angel said.

"Are you sure?" Komui asked.

"Yes," she said. Her stern tone told her everything he needed to know. The male angel pulled back and cleared his throat.

"Well, okay," he said. The female angel tilted her head.

"What's on your mind?" she asked. "Are you saying that your unit was…?"

"I won't know until I check something out here," Komui replied. He picked up the battle records dating on the day of the Great Crash. Six units were out on patrol that day. Red and Orange were nowhere near the battlefield at the time. The West unit was supposed to be near the edge of the Shirakami-Sanchi at the time. Only East, North, and South were right on the field. It was supposed to be a slow day. One detail struck out to Komui on the report.

"Why was it that only my unit saw the black clouds?" he asked.

"What do you mean?" the female angel asked.

"Come look at this file," Komui said. "Do you notice anything odd?" His colleague looked at the weather conditions of all the reports. Her eyes widened as she began to see a pattern.

"This can't be right," the lady angel said.

"Exactly," he said. The female angel looked up at him.

"Why would someone want to target your unit?" she asked. Komui shook his head.

Meanwhile, the angels couldn't help but notice that someone was watching them from outside. They had to speak in hushed tones as they worked. Komui looked over at his colleague.

"You shut all the windows in this apartment, right?" he asked.

"Yes," the woman said.

"Want to do another check around the apartment?"

"Yes."

Both angels got up and walked around the apartment, looking at all the doors and windows. Komui hid the files they had on the table before they began their search. They looked around the apartment about three times. Once everything looked fine, they came back to the living room and got back to work.

They still weren't so trusting with their investigation. Someone could be watching them.

Komui and his colleague had no idea how right they were.


	8. Lavi

Key Seven: Lavi:

He too is starting to remember the war and the Great Crash. In fact, he and Allen were in the same unit. As he lay beside Ami in her bed, he began to remember the horrible events that led up to that day.

-Three Years Earlier-

They said the weather conditions were be nice that day. Most of the angels there to scot the area. Lavi and a small group were slacking off. The red-headed angel wondered what the rush was. They didn't have to get up at six in the morning for guard duty. Lavi stared up at the endless blue sky. How long have they all been at war? He wasn't sure if anyone was counting anymore. They didn't forget the why. But, was it even worth it anymore.

Lavi shook his head. He didn't think so. But, what did he know?

He couldn't get Bookman's words out of his head, though. What did he mean by look out for black clouds? The sky looked empty. In fact, they were told it would stay that way all day.

_Don't be deceived by the sky upon._

Lavi frowned as he closed his eyes.  _What do you want, you old panda?_

_Don't call me a panda!_

_What do you want?_

_There is a traitor in our unit._

Lavi lifted his head.  _What?_

_I don't like this set-up, Lavi. Something is amiss._

_What do you mean a traitor? That can't be right. Why would they want to help this enemy? Do they even know who the enemy is?_

_Yes! The traitor is in your unit on the ground with you right now._

_What do you…_  Lavi's directed themselves to the sky overhead. Blackened clouds started rolling faster than raging cattle.

"That can't be right…" the red-headed angel said.

_What is it? Lavi? Lavi?_  Bookman's voice sounded faded away under a high-pitched whistle. Lavi's eye widened as his jaw dropped.

"What… is that?" he asked. The rest of the events before the Great Crash were hazy from the moment he asked that question. Lavi could only remember seeing the fire before everything went black.

In the silent hours after the crash, Lavi awoke to see bodies around him. Some were broken into several pieces. Other remained intact. Lavi could smell burning flesh. The air was so thin that it hurt his lungs to breathe. He could barely see anything around him. What made things worse was the unnerving silence around the red-haired angel. There wasn't even any other angels moaning in pain. His own heavy breathing didn't make a sound. Lavi winced at the burning sensation on his skin.

_I… I can't stay here…_

Lavi could barely move, but he could feel the ground vibrating with his chest. Blurred shadows in his vision told him that someone was coming. He didn't want to stay around and find out if they were ally or enemy. The angel didn't have his hammer, let alone the strength to move. But where was he going to go? There was a dirt road near this field, but he couldn't remember where it was or how it far away it was. Lavi gritted his teeth. It didn't help that vibrations on the ground had increased. He turned his head and noticed the shadows getting bigger just by holding things. Something or someone was probably taking away the bodies. He didn't want to think of the reason why.

_I have to get out of here._

Lavi drew in a painful breath and started to crawl away from the carnage. His breath grew heavier and pain-filled with every inch that moved. He had to dig his nails into the blackened dirt for a stronger grip. Lavi pushed himself to keep moving through the blackouts and blurry, doubling vision.

_I have to get out of here. I have to get out of here!_

The vibrations at his chest grew lighter the further he crawled away. He shoved the distance out of his head. If he couldn't rely on his eyes to know where he was going, he would have to smell out the dirt road for himself. Under normal circumstances, that idea sounded beyond the pale. He closed his eyes and sniffed out the dirt. Lucky for him, Lavi had a strong memory to rely on. The first day his unit came to his field, he and three other soldiers were horsing around near that dirt road. One of them knocked him face down.

"Yuck!" Lavi said. "Why does this road smell like rotting meat?"

"This is a burial ground," Bookman said. The younger angels looks up.

"What do you mean?" a young angel with blonde hair asked. Bookman walked over to a twisted dead tree a little bit down the road.

"Long before this war," he said. "The humans ran out of space to bury their dead. They had to resort to other means to give them peace." The old angel put his hand on the tree.

"This was the marker to start building more graves for the humans," he said. "The dirt from this road eats up their rot so quickly that everyone can smell when they lay down beside it." The younger angels stared at him with big eyes. In a way, they hoped that Bookman would say that he was only joking. As predicted, the stern look in his eyes said otherwise.

Lavi smiled and shook his head in his current predicament.

_What am I thinking about something like that at a time like this?_  Nevertheless, his stomach turned with relief as he could smell that rotting road. It amazed him that the soil itself was strong enough to overpower the smell of burning flesh. Lavi didn't get time to celebrate, though. As soon as he saw that road with the smelly soil, he passed out from his injuries, stress on his body, and the smells.

-Present Day-

"Lavi…" he heard back in present day. The angel looked down at the mother of his child in his arms.

"Hm?" he asked.

"Why does it hurt?" Ami asked in a tired voice. Lavi froze.

"What do you mean?" he asked. She had her hand on her belly.

"This little monster acts like it's clawing its way out," she said. "I keep hearing voices that creep me out."

"What kind of voices?" the red-haired angel asked. The pregnant shook her head. Ami looked up at him with big eyes.

"Is there something wrong with me?" she asked in a choked-up whisper. Lavi pulled her tighter into an embrace.

"No," he said. "I will protect you. You have my word." Ami rested her head against his chest. He couldn't let her see how afraid he really was.


	9. Morgue

Key Eight: Morgue:

Bodies come here to answer the question of how did this individual die. Heaven's morgue has been swamped for three years now. The coroners have been working non-stop. Today was no different.

The head coroner walked up to the newest arrival. Angel in the late thirties. Blood around the mouth. Eyes looked black and puffy. The corpse had a faint smell. The coroner hit record.

"July 10, sixth year," he began. "First body of the day. Brought in last night. Judging by the by the uniform, I would say Northern unit at best." He looked down at the body under the sheet.

"Right," he said. The coroner took out his blade.

Angels don't really die, per say. They go into a catatonic state. They can still see and hear everything. They can't speak. Very few angels can bring them back out of their hell that they forced to live in while they are in state. But, their bodies hold secrets that could unlock the secrets of the Great Crash.

Komui watched from the hallway. The mornings was the best time to catch the coroner at work. He straightened himself up and knocked on the door.

"Enter," the coroner said. Komui pushed open the door and poked his head inside.

"Are you busy right now?" he asked. The coroner looked up at him, frowning.

"Oh, the other angel said. "Of course you are."

"What do you want, Komui?" the coroner asked. The other angel cut him a sharp glare through his glasses.

"I have a few questions about the Great Crash," he said.

"What about it?" the coroner asked.

"I think my unit was targeted."

"Why would they do that?"

"You tell me."

"What are you saying?"

Komui shrugged. "You were in the back-up unit, right?"

"Yes. What about it?"

"Didn't you hear anything from the higher-ups?"

"No."

"Are you sure?"

The coroner lowered his scalp. "Look, what are you trying to imply here?"

"I'm only reaching for answers here," Komui said. "I want to know why my unit was all but wiped out in that battle."

"Then why are you asking me?" the coroner asked.

"I have to start somewhere," he said. The angel looked at the different body bags in the room. Twenty-eight new ones he counted today.

"Busy day, huh?" Komui asked.

"Do you need anything else?" the coroner asked. The other angel put his hands behind his head.

"No," he said. "But we will talk later." The coroner rolled his eyes.

"Could you please get out?" he asked. "I have work to do."

"Alright," Komui said. He bowed and walked off. The coroner shook his head and went back to work.

* * *

Each body tells a story about war and death. Most of them were still intact. The results should read the same, right? Komui's words pushed different thoughts in the coroner's head. He remembered seeing something odd on some of the bodies of the South unit angels three years ago.

The naked eyes couldn't pick it up. But when the coroner put on his special glasses, only then he could see a black star with feathered wings just below the nape of the angels of the South unit. No other bodies had this marking. The skin around it cracked and felt like dried wax paper. The coroner had many questions, but the higher-ups pushed them aside.

"It's probably just a mark among the unit themselves," they told him. "You have more important things to worry about. Just do your job." It didn't sound right to him. Komui denied ever seeing that mark before in his life.

"I don't even know what that means," he said. Thinking back, it rose more questions in the coroner's mind. What were those marks? What did they mean? Why didn't any of the other angels or units have this mark?

The coroner lowered his scalp. He pulled out his phone.

"It's me," he said. "I'm going to need you to look up something for me. Yeah. Yeah. Good, thank you. Goodbye." The coroner hung up and put his phone back into his coat pocket. He looked down at the body open before him. There wasn't much to look at. He took more notes and samples. After sewing up the first body, it was time to move onto the second body. This one had been sitting in storage three days now. Plus there were twenty-eight new bodies today too? The coroner sighed and rubbed his forehead.

* * *

"Just another day," he said to himself. The coroner closed the body into the drawer and moved onto the next one. And it was only morning too.

The coroner wasn't the only one who reminded that mark on the bodies of the dead angels in the South unit. Komui looked at the pictures of the black winged star the coroner e-mailed him at noon. He raised his eyebrow at what he saw again.

_What does this all mean?_

Komui downloaded the files and made copies to see to Bak and the rest of his investigation gang.


	10. Road

Key Nine: Road:

She's all too familiar with pleasure and violence. When she saw Allen among that wreck of bodies after the Great Crash, she that she had to have him. To her relief, he was still breathing. She did a quick look around the vacant battlefield. Okay, the clean-up crew would be here to collect the bodies and survivors in a few minutes. If she moved now, she could be long gone with Allen before they arrived. Good thing she had a little assistance with her that day.

Road and that help carried Allen off before the angel clean-up crew arrived.

* * *

She sat above her pet. He looked so tasty tied down to her bed. He stared at her with empty eyes. Aizen had worked his way through his new home. She smirked and caressed her pet on the cheek.

"Mine!" she purred. She leaned down and kissed him on the lips. He tasted so bitter, but sweet. He couldn't push her off anyway. Her legs came on either side of him.

"Beautiful boy," she said in a low voice. He doesn't protest. Aizen was like a virus rewriting the program that was his body. Speaking of which, the heat began increase between his legs. She giggled.

"What shall we do tonight?" she asked. The ball gag in his mouth kept him silent. So this was what he had been reduced down to, huh? A wingless host to a sex-crazed parasite who's forced to pleasure his mistress? She pressed a deep kiss into the side of his neck. He gasped behind the gag. Already, she set his mind in perverted place.

* * *

She had this pulled out from the beginning.

She saw him before many times. His purity made her all the more hungrier. She played out fantasies in her head about how she would break him. She didn't want to do it right away, though. Where was the fun in that? No, she preferred to tease it out as long as she could. She would have him become the perfect toy before long.

Her progress showed in the work that she put forth in her project. He lost his wings, she put Aizen in his body, and now he was breaking under different sexual sessions. She still knew that she hadn't won yet. He still had some fight in him. The mistress could tell just by looking in his eyes.

The process took time after all.

Wearing him down was the easiest job she had to do. But, she did have some help along the way. Tykki and Jasdevi had their hands in breaking Allen. She would have to do something special for them later.

Right now, she put her focus on her pet.

* * *

She ran her nails along his chest. His pale skin made her hunger. Where could she bite here? Neck again? Chest? Stomach? Or maybe…

She dipped down between his legs. He tried to peek down, but she pushed him back into place. Maybe she should've blindfolded him. She would have to keep that in mind for a later date. Her teeth sank down into the hard flesh. His muzzled scream was enough to get her off.

"Yes! Scream more!" she yelled. Another bite to the skin gave her the permission to take this further. She climbed on top of him. The fear in his eyes sent little shivers down her spine.

* * *

She kept his wings as a reminder. She knows that he is still longing to escape. He's plotting when he still has his mind. He's even went as far as to gather a little team together. Not just out in the city either. She knew about the ones in the Tower too. She didn't care about those little hoes. Road already knew how to crush this rebellion. She had the answer to the problem lying underneath her. His dry and rotted wings hung above her bed as a reminder of this.

* * *

She leaned down and sucked on his neck. He moaned behind his gag. He doesn't seem to know if he likes this for himself or Aizen's influence. Either way, it disturbed him. She, on the other hand, takes in every second of it. Pound after pound serves to remind him that she owns him. She doesn't believe in going gentle either. She's always had a taste for the rough sex. Biting, scratching, choking, and hitting. She loved that shit.

Tonight's cock ring made it that much more entertaining. Meanwhile, Aizen ran down his spine. Seeing him move around never bored her. Sometimes, she would chase him around with her fingers. It became a game in a way. Where was Aizen in her pet's body today? Her eyes trailed along her slave's body for that lust-hungry creature.

_Come on. Where are you now? Come out and show yourself._

She spotted it at her pet's shoulder.  _There!_  Her index finger rested on Aizen's back. The creature moved its head side to side. It took her all not to keep chasing it down. Riding her pet was what mattered right now. She focused more of her energy on her pounding. He would certainly be bruised for days.

Afterwards, she rested her head on his chest. She could hear Aizen running around in his body. Her lips curved into a little smile. Playing with him like this was satisfying, but she knew that it wouldn't be enough. She will soon want to take their games to higher levels. Next time, she decided to bring in more toy to their play time.

* * *

Meanwhile, he lay underneath her more lost than ever. Aizen kept eating away at who he was. If this kept up, he wouldn't be able to escape the Tower or the city. He won't have to try and cut Aizen out of him somehow and try to get what was left of his mind back.

For now, he forced himself to relive the memories of the time before the Great Crash.


	11. Lenalee

Key Ten: Lenalee:

Every day, she keeps looking. He's not in the living world, but she won't stop searching anyway. Komui tries to give her work to distract.

"You can look for Allen, but don't neglect your duty," he reminded her. She still takes away the dying souls from the living world to be judged. Her job hurts, but she still has to do. It's not as bad as not knowing what happened to Allen. The Dark Order doesn't seem to really be doing anything either. They claim the war has their hands tied. Even Komui's not believing that anymore.

"I will look into the investigation," he said. "You just focus on your job in the living world." Lenalee reluctantly carried out her job. She has to keep the balance of life and death going. If the angel of death quit doing her job, death will stop happening and people would live forever. Lenalee is all too aware of this and forces herself to act on her position. Besides, it gave her a chance to keep looking.

Nothing ever changes in the Living World. Despite everything that has happened, people keep dying and adjusting to their shattered idea of normal. How long before what's left of this world is destroyed too?

Today, Lenalee flew down to a hospital in East London.

* * *

Her name was Amelia. Only seven years old and diagnosed with heart cancer from the age of four. It had been a miracle she was able to hang on that long. Despite being in the city's best hospital, the doctors couldn't keep up with the patients coming in. Amelia has always been waiting for death. Each day she was alive amazed her and her mother. But, death still waited for the little girl.

This morning, Amelia sat on the bench staring at the street. This spot became her escape. She stared at the people walking by. They are free, but they are worried about dying the next day. In all honesty, they are like the people inside of the hospital. The doctors, nurses, and her mother can't hide the truth anymore. Amelia may have been a child, but she wasn't so innocent to this dying world.

She soon became aware that she wasn't alone on that park bench.

Amelia slowly turned her head. An older girl in a short black dress sat beside her, staring at the same road. Her short dark green hair looked bright despite the dim clouds. But, Amelia noticed the girl's big black wings. She reached to touch one of the feathers.

"I don't think you should do that," the older girl said. Amelia froze.

"Huh?" he asked. The older girl turned her head.

"My wings are sharp enough to cut your fingers," she said.

"Oh," Amelia said. She lowered her hand. "You're really pretty."

"Aw, thanks," the older girl said.

"I'm Amelia. What's your name?"

"Lenalee. Nice to meet you." The angel and child shook hands. The little girl tilted her head.

"Why are you sad?" Amelia asked.

"Sad?" Lenalee asked.

"You look like you're going to cry. What's the matter?"

Lenalee lowered her head. "I can't find my friend. He's gone missing."

"Do you want help finding him?"

"No. I don't think he's anywhere that I've checked."

"What do you mean?"

Lenalee shook her head. "I don't know how to put it in words. I just can't feel him anymore."

"Feel him?"

"You know when you're close to somebody, you can always feel them nearby."

"I guess…" Amelia looked down at her tiny feet. This had been the first time she talked to somebody outside of the hospital in a year. The nurses, doctors, and other patients were nice to her, but it felt nice to talk to someone on the outside for a change.

"I can't really say that I actually had this feeling myself," she said. Lenalee smiled and rubbed the back of her head.

"Oh, I'm sorry," she said. "I guess you're too young to know what I am talking about. But when you become really close to someone, it's almost like you have a deep connection inside of you. Your heart races and you can always feel them near." Lenalee's lower lip trembled.

"I can't feel him anywhere now," she said.

"I'm sorry to hear that," Amelia said. Her attention went back to the black wings on Lenalee's back. They seemed to glow in the overcast day. Each little feather seemed to have a special feature of its own. The little girl knew that she wasn't supposed to touch them, but she couldn't take her eye off them either.

"Why do you have wings?" she asked at last. Lenalee looked behind her.

"You can see those?" she asked.

"Yeah," the little girl said.

"And you can see me just fine?"

"Yeah. Am I not supposed to?"

Lenalee slowly covered her mouth. "Wait… Are you…?" She rubbed her forehead. "Of course, you are. Oh my god, I have been slipping lately while I was looking for him."

"What are you talking about?" Amelia asked. Lenalee took a deep breath and looked her in the eye.

"Please forgive for startling you like this," she said. "But what are you doing in the hospital, Amelia?" The little girl put her hand to her chest.

"It's my heart," she said. "I have cancer."

"I see," Lenalee said. Amelia tilted her head.

"Why do you ask?" she asked. Lenalee balled up her fists in her lap as she lowered her head.

"Do you promise not to freak out if I tell you?" she asked. Amelia tilted her head.

"I can't," she said. Lenalee gave her a strange look.

"What do you mean?" she asked. The cancer patient shrugged her shoulders.

"If I say yes and I freak out, I would've broken my promise, wouldn't I?" I asked. Lenalee rubbed the back of her head.

"Fair enough," she said.

"What did you want to tell me?"

The angel took in a heavy breath. "I am the angel of death." She looked into the little girl's eyes. Amelia didn't have any emotion on her face.

"The angel of death?" she asked.

"Yes," Lenalee said. The little girl didn't respond. She folded her hands into her lap.

"I see," she said. The angel of death blinked.

"You're not afraid?" she asked. Amelia shook her head.

"Why not?" she asked. The little girl shrugged her shoulders.

"I don't know," she said. "I guess I have been used to be told that I don't have long to live. Mummy's always surprised when I wake up in the morning. I have another surgery coming up next week." The cancer patient looked Lenalee in the eye.

"Am I going to die then?" she asked. The angel of death smiled.

"No," she said. Amelia's eyes shifted back and forth.

"So… When am I going to die?" she asked. Lenalee smiled and winked.

"That's a secret," she whispered. The little cancer tilted her head. She couldn't figure this strange girl out, but she couldn't help but feel close to her. Amelia moved her hand to the chest.

"Lenalee," she said.

"Yes?" the angel of death asked. The little patient took her by the hands.

"Can you be the one to take my soul when I die?" she asked. Lenalee gave her a strange look.

"Why would you want me to do that?" she asked. Amelia pressed her lips together.

"You seem nice," she said. "And I think we could be friends and I want you to friend your other friend too." Lenalee smiled and held out her pinky. The little cancer patient took hold of it with her own.

"I will come for you when it's time," Lenalee said.

"And I will be waiting for you," Amelia said.

* * *

"Amelia?" a nurse asked when she came outside to the stone bench. "What are you doing out here? I thought you would be in the activity room with the other children." The cancer patient turned her head. The nurse with bright blonde hair gave her a little smile.

"Honestly, why do you come out here day after day?" she asked. "The view isn't even that pretty. Why not go and sit on the bench in the garden?"

"I like it out here," Amelia said. "I find it so peaceful." The dark-haired girl broke into a little smile. "I met a new friend today."

"Did you?" the nurse asked. "Where is now?"

"She already left."

"Did she?"

"Yeah, she went off to look for her missing friend."

The nurse held out Amelia's jacket. "Come inside. It's about lunch time." The little patient slid off of the bench.

"Okay," she said. Amelia walked to the nurse and held out her arms. Once the nurse dressed her up in the jacket, they walked back into the hospital. The patient smiled to herself the whole time.


	12. Tate

Key Eleven: Tate:

He's seen both the battlefield and the decaying city. It's all the same to him. Both places stink. He took a sip of his flat booze and sneered. He should be used to it by now, but he hates it. He wishes that he could watch it burn. He ran his thumb around the top of the bottle. What did it matter anymore? Nothing was going to change out here. He had gotten used to that by now. It torn him up inside that Cricket still held onto his hopes. He thinks things will one day get better.

"Don't you ever wonder what's outside of the city?" the younger angel asked.

"No," Tate said.

Cricket tilted his head. "Why not?"

"You can't honestly think that anything is out there, can you?"

"I don't know."

Tate turned back to the dying landscape he watched day after day. He didn't know why he had to look out the window at it so much. There wasn't much to look at anyway. He guessed it beat looking at his fellow angels. Funny thing was they all reminded him of his dead comrades on the battlefield. Tate shook his head. He took another drink of his whiskey. Why does he keep thinking about the past?

-Battlefield-

Seven months.

His unit had been out in the field for seven months. He had gotten used to smelling blood around him every day. Funny how well it mixed into the dirt like so. Nothing fazed him anymore. This wasn't his war. Why were they fighting for a pointless war? Humanity was fucked anyway. Fucked ever since that vile woman started walking the Earth again. Most of Japan was dead. How long would Asia be infected? It didn't matter to him anymore.

Tate looked around at his fellow soldiers. Who was going to die today? Of course they couldn't die, that only happened after they were eaten. He lost count on how many of his comrades he had eaten. To him, they had no taste. Meat was meat to him. Usually, it was against Heaven's policy to eat their own kind. But, who's really keeping track in this long, pointless war? Tate shook his head.

Look at them. Laughing and joking around. They are just scared on the inside. Why should they be out here fighting a pointless war? Why did they even exist at all? They all used to be human so they were told. Why were they even made anyway? Rumor had it that the original creators had been dead for quite some time now. Tate snickered to himself. How convenient! They create this mess and then check before they could be brought to justice. Then again, what would be the adequate punishment for turning them into this? Make them suffer the same fate they have? Somehow, that wouldn't be so satisfying. Tate took a sip of his whiskey. Booze was the only thing that he could taste now. He couldn't get drunk. No drugs or alcohol could affect angels anymore. All he had left was the taste.

That's when something caught his ear.

"What is that?" he asked. Tate turned around. The sound was coming from the sky. His eyes widened as a burning object came hurling from the sky. He didn't get a chance to warn his comrades. It felt like all of the air was sucked out of the atmosphere. They didn't even get a chance to scream.

There was only fire. And then…

There was nothing.

-Fallen City-

He didn't know how and why he ended up here.

When Tate woke up, the sky was a reddish-gray. The smell of rotting meat made his nose curl. The angel sat up and covered his nose.

"What the hell?!" he asked. Tate looked around once the shock wore off. He found himself sitting in drying mud. He couldn't see any signs of life around him. The battlefields at least had tall grass and some trees in the background. Here was just nothing. He couldn't even tell what time of day it was. The steel skeletons of buildings looked like they were going to collapse.

Tate pushed himself to his feet.

"Hello?" he asked. Only his echo answered him. His eyes shifted left and right. He could hear something charging towards him. Tate held up his hand and started to chant. But, something wasn't right. When he opened his eyes and looked down, his heart sank.

"Where is my necklace?" he asked. The angel turned around when the charging became inches away. His eyes widened as everything turned red.

When Tate awoke, he could feel warm and sticky fluid running down his back. His body felt sore all over. He moved his hand to his head.

"What happened?" he mumbled. It was then he became aware of the warm, sticky fluid on his back. Against his better judgement, Tate reached behind him and wiped it up. When he drew back his hand, his eyes widened at the red liquid trailing down his fingers. Panicked, he felt around on his back again.

"No…" he said. "No, no, no, no, no!" Tate sat up, cursing himself.

"My, my, my," a voice said in the sky. "Another angel without his wings." He jerked his head upwards.

"Who's there?" he asked. Tate took a step backwards. A sharp chill rose down his body. A sharp pain attacked his head. The angel sank to his knees, screaming.

"What… What… What is this?" he asked. Tate huddled up into a little ball. He could hear laughing above his head.

"Why is this happening to me?" the angel asked.

"What's the matter, baby?" the voice asked. "Can't handle it?"

"No!" he wailed. The laughter started laughing higher.

"Too bad," she said. "Enjoy your new hell!" Tate screamed as the pain grew worse. Before he knew it, everything went black.

When woke up, everything felt so cold.

-Today-

Cricket rested his chin on Tate's back.

"Do you remember when you were human?" he asked. The older angel turned his head.

"No," he said. Cricket tilted his head.

"How come?" he asked.

"I just don't," Tate said. He picked up his bottle and finished off the booze. The older angel tossed the bottle across the vacant room.

"How come you drink all the time?" Cricket asked. The older angel drew his eyes closed.

"I just like the taste," he said. He reminded himself not to get too attached to the younger angel.

"Nothing good comes out of staying by me," Tate said. "So don't get so close to me." He didn't mean to sound harsh, but he only doesn't want to end up hurting Cricket. He feels like he's hurt someone in his life when he was human. Whether that was true or not, he didn't care to know the truth. He just wanted to sleep.

Meanwhile, Cricket didn't go away from him. Instead, he rested his head against his back and closed his eyes. Tate felt so warm despite being cruel.


	13. Aceldama

Key Twelve: Aceldama:

On the surface, it looks like an ordinary field. Komui could still smell the blood. He stepped out of the car with flowers in hand. It was common for angels to go out and pay their respects to the missing soldiers in this endless war. Komui could still hear the cries in the wind. The gore and carnage was long gone. The thick yellow grass grew over to cover up the outlines of bodies.

"How long will you be out here?" the driver asked. The angel waved him off.

"You can go on without me," he said.

"Are you sure?" the driver asked.

"Yes," Komui said. "I'll call you when I am ready to leave."

"Yes, sir," the other angel said. "Take care." He rolled up his window and drove away. Komui held the white roses in his hand. Maybe he could find the answers he was looking for in this place.

It's so quiet here today. Birds won't even fly over this field. It was like they knew about this place and its history. There were rumors about this place being cursed. The angel shook those thoughts out of his head. When he stepped onto the field, a chill ran down his spine. How many angels were cut down that day? Hundreds? Thousands? Millions? But, that wasn't why Komui was here.

He placed his hand to the glass. His eyes widened at how cold it felt. This was supposed to summertime. Komui noticed that he couldn't feel any heat or cold in the air around him. Only the grass felt so cold. The angel took a quick mental note of this abnormality. His eyes shifted around his location. Sure, there was nobody out here, but it could be possible that he was being watched. Why would the higher-ups be watching him at a battle site?

Komui took in the crunching of grass at his feet as he walked further into the center. The path would disappear by the time he turned around. He stopped in what felt like the center. Komui placed the white roses down onto the brown tall grass. He closed his eyes and said a little prayer. Faint whispers circled his ears. The angel peeked out of one eye. As far as he could, he was the only one out there in the field. Why would be followed all the way out here? He closed his eye again. More whispering filled his ears. The angel tried to ignore it, but got louder. Komui gritted his teeth.

_Who's there?_

The whispering circled his head. He tried to make out what they were saying. At first, he could only catch babbling. The sound wouldn't stop. Komui began to think that they were trying to speak to him.

_Who are you? What are you trying to tell me?_

Komui trained his ears to the wailing increasing in volume in his head. Something told him that he would have to make this quick. He didn't give a time of how long he would be out paying his respects. But how long before they took notice?

_Betrayed. Betrayed._

_What do you mean?_

_Betrayed. They betrayed us._

_Who betrayed you? Why did they betray you?_

His vision ripped into red. Komui started panting as the colors turned negative. Images flashed around before his eyes. He couldn't make out what he was seeing. Feathers floated around in blood while he could hear horses galloping. Wait… Horses? None of the fractions in heaven ever had horses. Where did they come from?

_What is this?_

Komui heard a wailing noise behind him. When he turned around, a cyclone of fire raced towards him. His heart pounded against his chest.  _No… No…_

The fire circled faster. Komui jerked his eyes open. To his shock, he was still in the field. That fire had no heat as it circled towards him. Could it have something to do with the grass being cold and feeling nothing in the air? Komui shook his head.

"I've been out here too long," he said to himself. The angel closed his eyes and focused his mind towards Heaven.

_Hello?_

_I'm ready to go. Come and get me._

_Alright, we'll be right there._

_Thank you._  Komui took a seat in the grass. He found the sky rather calming compared to what he heard in the wind moments earlier. He couldn't help but wonder if those were really voices of the dead or if it was a trap from a powerful demon. The angel shivered as he turned the question over in his head. If it was demons, what was their motive? It couldn't be to tempt him. They seemed to be preoccupied with their own battles at the moment. More importantly, who betrayed those voices? Was it the ones who owned the horses?

Komui looked up when he heard a horn honking. He turned his head to see the car parked inches away from him. The driver looked out the window with his eyes narrowed.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Huh?" the other angel asked.

"You look so pale," the driver said. "You okay?" Komui slowly nodded when the words sank in.

"Oh," he said. "Yeah, yeah. I'm fine," The angel walked over to the car and climbed into the back seat. He kept his eyes down the whole time.

"Hey," the angel spoke up at last.

"Yeah?" the driver asked.

"Have any of the army units ever had horses?" Komui asked.

"Of course," the other angel said behind the wheel. "Why would we need such things?" His passenger shook his head.

"I guess you're right," he said. That confirmed one thought he had. So where did the horses come from? Komui doesn't know it, but he's about to kick up the hornet's nest in Heaven.


	14. Ophelia

Key Thirteen: Ophelia:

She lay on a low bed of silk sheets in Paradise. She stared at the endless black ceiling. Despite living as both human and an angel, the sky and ceiling looked the same. A vast sea of endlessness that crushed down upon her.

This reminded her of her days in Paris.

-Paris, France-

She didn't know what year it was. Unlike most angels, she still had most of her memories of when she was human. She gave from a small town in France when she was eighteen. There was her mother in the picture. There might have been a baby, but they were either dead or didn't exist at all. She shivered when she tried to remember the little child.

Her town didn't have much to keep her family afloat. Her mother worked on a nearby farm and was protestant. Her husband died three years after the baby might had been born. The only thing Ophelia could remember about him was that he smelt oranges. But, that is not relevant to the story.

That year, the farm wasn't doing so well. It looked like a cold winter was heading their way. Her mother was starting to have pain in her joints. The other workers voiced their concerns to her only surviving offspring. She decided to help her mother make more money by going to the city and finding work. Her mother voiced her negative opinions about this.

"You mustn't do this," she said. "It's too dangerous for a girl like you to go out there. I will get well so, I promise." Her daughter lightly tapped her palm. She shook her head when he mother winced in pain.

"Mama, we have no choice," she said. "What will happen to us if you get injured on the farm? The nearest hospital is too far away. Plus, the farm is failing this year. Let me help you out. I can find a job in the city easily."

"Don't go!" her mother pleaded.

"This is the only way," she insisted. "Let me do this. We need money to eat and keep our house." Nevertheless, they argued back and forth.

Her mother turned out to be right.

Three years later, Ophelia ended up on the streets. Granted, the madam did take very good care of her. But, the young whore just wanted to leave. Sadly, the madam would always convince her to stay. Backing up a little bit, Ophelia wasn't conned into turning tricks in Paris. It all happened by accident, believe it or not.

She had just arrived in Paris at the time. She didn't have much money on her at the time. She had only managed to gather up enough to take the train to the city. In those times, Paris was more liberated than it was now. What she knew about the city, she heard from the news and her neighbors. On the surface, Paris looked beautiful and harmless. But, the people had the feeling that anything could boil over at any moment. They didn't seem to have a high opinion about the government.

She clutched what little she had by her side. She didn't have high expectations for the perfect job in Paris. Maybe, get like a simple job working in a bakery or a store. She had learned some skills from her mother after. But first, she needed a place to stay. She was on her way to the housing place when three men approached her. These muscled beef cakes wore black leather with piercings in their faces. She held her bag as tightly as she could.

"Well hello there," one of the men said. "I don't think I seen a pretty young thing like you before."

"Um… I just moved here for work," she said. "Could you please excuse me? I have to find some housing for myself." She started to walk away, but another man grabbed her by the arm. She whipped her head around. His crooked teeth put her off.

"Aw, come on," he said. "We just met. Can't you spare us a little time to talk?" She looked calm on the outside, but screamed on the inside. She shook her head.

"I really have to go," she said. The men didn't seem to take a hint. She tried again to leave.

"Please let me go?" she asked. "I don't have the time."

"Then make time," their leader said.

"Excuse me!" a woman's voice shouted. "What are you doing with one of my girls?" All of four of them looked up to see a woman in a dark miniskirt and black flowing blouse. She held a cigarette holder between her slender fingers. Ophelia gave her a blank stare. The men looked at this new woman.

"And why should we?" the leader asked.

"Like I said," the older woman asked. "She's one of my girls." The biker men looked at their captive. The new girl didn't like the sound of that, but really wanted to get away from them. She quickly nodded.

"Yes!" she said. The bikers snorted and walked off. She looked at her potential savior.

"Thank you," she said.

"Not a problem, dear," the older woman said. She looked the new girl up and down. "Say, have you eaten yet?" Ophelia's stomach growled.

"No," she admitted. The woman walked over and put her arm around her new target.

"Come on," she said. "I know the perfect café to get lunch from."

"But, I still need housing," the younger woman said.

"That's okay. You can stay with me for the night."

"Are… Are you sure that's okay?"

"Yes!"

"But I don't have enough to pay for rent. I'm still looking for a job and…"

The older woman turned her head. "A job you say?"

"Yeah."

"Ah! I can help you out, dear."

The younger woman eyed her. "Really?" Her new acquittance put her arm around her shoulders.

"Yeah," she said. "We'll talk over lunch." The woman dragged her new target further down the road.

* * *

It started out minor. She would just answer the phone. The agreement started out simple enough. She would just have to be flirty to the callers. Nothing too dirty. She was raised in a protestant home after. Her madam showed her how to do it.

"You have to sound all sexy as you do it," she said.

"Sexy?" the new hire asked.

"Yes," the madam said. The new hire didn't feel good about this. But, she needed the money for her mother and their house. A few phone calls wouldn't hurt, right? She forced herself to smile.

"Okay," she said. Her boss patted her on the back.

"You'll do fine," she said. "Don't worry about it." The new hire felt like squirming at the other woman's touch. It didn't take like for the terms of their agreement to change. She didn't expect to get so popular over the phone lines. Some of the clients wanted to see her in person. The madam had no choice but to "promote" her best call girl.

"This will only be temporary," she said. But it never is, is it? Now, the madam was very kind to her. She also paid rather handsomely. However, this wasn't the life that Ophelia wanted. She was able to send money back home, but she felt so dirty about it. She couldn't come home because of her job. She couldn't bear to see the disappointment in her mother's eyes if she discovered that her daughter became a whore. She tried leaving many times. Every morning, she would tell herself that today would be the day. In the end, the madam would always talk her out of leaving.

Things grew worse when the whore became pregnant.

It would take a calamity the size of the world to break this endless cycle.

-Present Day-

_Ophelia? Ophelia?_

Ophelia opened her eyes.

"Leda, is that you?" she asked.

_Yes. We need to talk._


	15. Tyrone

Key Fourteen: Tyrone:

He grew up surviving. He's still surviving now. He's forgotten what rest looked like. They were all supposed to escape this god-forsaken city. Escape together. Who knew something as simple as storm would derail them? Looked like he would try to have to survive a little bit longer.

"Ty," Harry said. The dark-skinned angel looked at him.

"Hm?" he asked.

"I keep having more strange flashbacks," his old friend said. Usually, Tyrone would dismiss this as him going crazy, but now he wasn't too sure. The dark-skinned angel rubbed his forehead.

"What do you want me to say?" he asked. Harry shook his head. Tyrone looked out among the empty sand wasteland. To be honest, he started to have strange memories himself. No, he had been having them for a long time. When? He couldn't say. Or rather, he didn't want to say. The dark-skinned angel shook his head.

"Listen," he said, hitting Harry on the side. "We've got to keep going."

"Where?" his friend asked.

"Anywhere," Tyrone said. "Anywhere from here." He picked up his friend and started dragging him along. They've done this before. It all became clear in his head.

"Say, Jim," he said.

"Yeah?" Harry asked.

"We've met each other before, haven't we?"

"I'm not sure. Why?"

Tyrone looked up at the dusty sky. He thought of something to say, but closed his mouth when he couldn't form the words that he wanted. Instead, his mind began to wander away.

-Brooklyn-

It had to have been the 70's. That summer was the hottest in New York that year. He was a child back then. He raced down the street to the run down apartment that he called home. Up the stairs, into the musky, dim lobby, over to the worn-out elevator, down the cigarette-smelling hallway, and up to apartment 313. He as a little boy unlocked the door.

"I'm home!" he said.

"In here, dear," a woman's voice said from the living room. The child ran all the way across the room. A big black woman sat in a stuffy green recliner. Her faded red dress came down to her ankles. The little orange flower pattern faded in with the material. She sat next to an open window. The woman slowly lifted her head.

"Baby boy," she said. "You're home." He ran over and sat in her lap. His mother put her arm around him.

"How was your day?" she asked.

"Good," he said. "Mama."

"Yeah?" she asked. He looked up at her with a proud smile on his face.

"I'm going to be a big man and make you proud!" he bragged. His mother smiled and laughed.

"I believe you will," she said. The big woman held her son in her arms.

Where did he go wrong?

He had so much promise when he was younger. The little boy was certainly the brightest in his class. Sure, he was lazy at times, but still managed to pull through. Where did it all go wrong? Through his teen years, he had his ups and downs. Hormones and teenage rebellion were a rather dicey combination. But, he wasn't alone.

Who was that with him? For some reason, he kept seeing Harry's face. But he came along much later in his life. He couldn't exactly place when, however. Those lines blurred the harder he tried. Those lines boiled down to a rather cruel element that brought downfall to his life.

He and his friend became slaves to the needle. They had dreams of making it big in Brooklyn. That was a great summer too. But then, it started to fall apart by the fall. They struggled, but their slavery to the needle grew worse. By winter, it had crashed and burned. He himself wound up in jail. He didn't remember what happened to his friend. They got separated when they were to be assigned for work and then it blurred into misery from there.

-Present Day-

The dark-skinned angel looked down at his friend.

"Say, Jim?" he asked.

"Yeah?" Harry asked.

"Have you ever been to a place called Brooklyn?"

"Brooklyn?"

"Yeah. I think it's a city in Brooklyn. Does it right any bells to you?"

Harry took a minute to think. "I can't really save that I fully remember. But, the name sounds familiar. Why? Are you starting to remember when you were human?"

The dark-skinned angel frowned and shook his head. "I didn't say all of that."

"But you can feel it, can't you?" Harry asked.

"I didn't say all of that."

"But you can feel it too."

"Listen, man, let's just get out of here, okay?"

"Right."

Tyrone dragged his friend further across the desert-like landscape. He narrowed his eyes as images of him as a little boy sitting in that big black woman's lap flashed back and forth in his mind. Sweat began to form on his body. The thin air made his lungs hurt. The more he thought about it, the more he began to wonder if he ever was human.

_That's just ridiculous! Me being human?_  He used to tell himself that and believe that. But now, he wasn't quite sure anymore.

The dark-skinned angel paused and looked around in the sky.

"What's the matter, Ty?" Harry asked.

"Shhh," his friend whispered. "Do you hear that?"

"Hear what?" Harry asked.

"Shhh," Tyrone said again. He strained his ears as he listened towards the sky. The question came through his ears again.

_Can any of you hear me out there?_


	16. Leda

Key Fifteen: Leda:

She still remembers what their mission is. She will not let them have the upper hand. Hence why she keeps reaching out to the Escape Crew. So far, she managed to reach two of the scattered out members. She knows that she can't let up until she's reached all of them. After all, she herself has a big opportunity to gain from their escape plan. The chained-up angel didn't forget her master's abuse. She still had her wings, but that's what made it worse. He smirked at the feathers tangled up in the thin metal chains.

"Ah, look at you," he would hiss. "Such a mighty beast caught up in chains. Pathetic site." She wanted to vomit when he blew smoke into her cage. She hated everything about that bastard. His voice, his smug expression, his smoking, his face, and his cocky attitude. She may have been weak, but she still had some of her powers. Why hadn't tried to escape yet? The chains didn't look that strong. She could just break them if she wanted. She could do the same for the cage. Why hasn't she gone ahead and tried?

She's biding her time. Soon, she will break free and kill her vile lord. She will take joy into stabbing him and crushing his body. The thought of blood all over the basement was what kept her from clawing out her eyes. She lifted her head when she heard footsteps coming towards the door. She remembered how she ended up in the doctor's enslavement.

-Abuse Tango-

She used to live in the City. The first thing she could remember was the sky. It wasn't blue like when she was human. She could see all of the reds in the world. Why was she shivering? She found that she couldn't move her body. She couldn't even speak. Still, she could see, hear, feel, and smell everything. The silence around her made everything much worse. Even the wind didn't make a sound. Her nose curled at the scent of rotting meat. The nerves in her body felt like they were tingling. She couldn't escape the feeling of ants crawling all over her body.

It didn't take long for her to realize she wasn't alone anymore.

When did he get here? She couldn't see his face. His hand grabbed her by the shoulder and dragged her with him.

_Where is he taking me?_

Everything slowly turned black.

Hours later, she could smell blood. She felt her right arm hanging above her head for some reason. She tried to move it, but found it stuck there.

_Hm?_

She slowly opened her eyes and lifted her head. Her right arm was chained above her head. For the first time since she ended up in the city, the shock ran through her body. She turned her head and saw her left arm chained above her head. She had chains in her wings as well.

_What is this?_

"Oh good, you're awake," a voice said. She looked forward. A pair of golden eyes stared at her in the darkness. Her nose curled at the cigarette smoke. He chuckled to himself.

"Oh, you don't like this?" he asked. He blew smoke into the cage. He smirked at her coughing.

"Heh," he said. He leaned in close to the cage. "Do you know why you're here?" She stared at him with big eyes. At the time, she couldn't make sense of what was happening. She hadn't hardened into the angry angel she was today.

"You want to tell you, don't you?" he asked. "Heh."

The abuse games began from there. He rarely physically beats her up. But he taunts her all of the same. The chains and cage hold her back from attacking him. She still had her wings, but that made things worse. In his eyes, she looked like a caged beast who should've been ashamed of being caught like this. He liked her strong enough to have her spirit, but weak enough not to fully fight back. His favorite game to play with her? The poke game. He would take a long, thin metal rod and hold it over the heater in the corner. Then he would poke her in the thighs, abdomen, breasts, neck, and calves. Her skin was quick to heal over, leaving scar tissue in its wake. She wondered why she hadn't tried to bite his fingers off when he put them too close to her mouth.

Being in that dark basement gave her plenty of time to build up her rage. Fantasies of her breaking out and killing him kept her from going crazy. Because she still had her wings, she could hear thoughts. It didn't help that most of them focused on wishing for death and misery. What else could she expect from the city and tower? She could feel the pain from the angels from Paradise. They were focused to be sex slaves to the bored monsters in the Tower. She could've had the same fate if he hadn't found her first. Wings torn off, forced to pleasure a new monster every night, suffering from humiliation. He didn't put her through any of those horrors, she gave him. She didn't want to think of herself sleeping with him at all.

It's turned into a stalemate. She refuses to scream anymore. His insults don't faze her anymore. She still winces at the poke game. He invents way to torment her. How long have they been doing this stick? What did it matter? Time didn't exist in the city and tower. Now, she just laughs at him as she gets revenge in her own ways. She would laugh in his face when her little plans paid off.

Why hasn't she tried to break out and kill him yet? She's waiting for the right moment to break out seek her long awaited revenge. The time has to be just right. Every hit of abuse that she took from him was tallied up in her head. Boy did he have a massive debt with her. She was going to be so happy to come and collect when the time was right. Still, there was one more thing that she always came back to.

He never gave her the reason why she was there.

-Present Day-

They couldn't forget their mission. She had to keep trying to reach out to them. Lately, she had gotten bolder with her telepathic communications. She has even tried it with him staring her down during their mental games. She was alone right now. She closed her eyes and got to work reaching out to the scattered out members of the Escape Crew. Last night, she reached out into the city and the night before it was within the Tower. Who was she going to reach out to tonight?

_Hello? Can anybody here me?_


	17. Ami

Key Sixteen: Ami:

She lay on her bed with her hand to her stomach. She couldn't understand why this was happening to her. Five months in and things still hadn't gotten any better. The pains were getting worse lately. Doctors couldn't figure out what was wrong with her or the baby. She wouldn't take the medication, however. The baby seemed to be rejecting all kinds of drugs that entered into its mother's body. It didn't help that she kept having visions that frightened her. She constantly heard a baby crying in her dreams. She always saw the same demonic face that came with it. A pair of hands glowed in the dark, reaching out for her. Lavi had become distant and nervous lately.

"What's the matter, babe?" she asked. He couldn't tell her the truth. He would look ashamed and not make eye contact with her. Just like he was doing right now. She turned over onto her side.

"Whatever," she muttered. "Leave me alone." She didn't turn around as she heard the footsteps walk out of the room. Ami cursed herself under her breath.

"Coward," she muttered. She curled up into a ball and went to sleep.

* * *

She awoke to the room feeling cold. Ami lifted her head and looked around.  _Who turned the air on?_  Something told her that she wasn't alone in the room.

"Who's there?" Ami whispered. Her eyes shifted back and forth in the room. "Lavi? Lavi, is that you? Babe?" Another sharp pain shot through her stomach. It was then she noticed a pair of glowing gold eyes watching her from the corner of the room. The eyes stepped forward to reveal a pale face of a woman. Her dark purple kimono blended in with the darkness. Her obi and pale skin stood out in the moonlight. A small white kitsune mask sat atop her head like a big bow. She closed her bright pink umbrella.

"It's only me," she said.

"But who are you?" Ami asked.

"Ah, where are my manners?" the woman asked. "I am called Shion." The young mother-to-be sat there, blinking.

"Okay… So what are you doing in my room?" she asked.

"Ah, yes. Your baby called me here to you."

"What?"

"I probably should explain myself more clearly. You see, I only answer the calls of particular unborn children." Shion walked over to the bed and sat down. Ami put her hand to her stomach.

"Yes," Shion said. "Some unborn children call out to me and I come to source."

"But why?"

"Different reasons." The mysterious woman leaned down to Ami's stomach. "Hm, this one has something interesting to say."

"What do you mean? You are creeping me out."

"I do apologize." Shion sat back on the bed. "Your child has so much to say."

"What are you talking about?"

"Who is his father?"

" _His_?"

"Yes. Your baby is a boy. Now, who is his father?"

"My boyfriend."

"Who's your boyfriend?"

Ami frowned at her. "Why are you asking all of this? Who the hell are you? Why are you in my room?" She narrowed her cold eyes at her unwanted guest. Shion raised her eyebrow.

"Could you please be quiet?" she asked. "Your voice drowns out his words."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Ami asked.

"Shhh!" Shion took a closer listen to the mother-to-be's belly. Her golden eyes changed red as she looked up at the teenage girl.

"He's saying you don't know anything about his father," she said. "He's keeping a huge secret from you." Ami wrinkled her nose.

"Bullshit!" she hissed. Another wave of pain ripped through her pain. Ami took a sharp breath.

"Ow," she murmured.

"He doesn't like the lies about his existence," Shion said. "He's not the only one either." She stood up back and closed her eyes.

"What are you doing?" Ami asked in a low voice.

"Shhh," Shion whispered. She opened her eyes. "He's going to be hunted."

"What?!"

The mysterious woman grabbed her by the wrist. "You have to listen to me. The child growing inside of you is not a normal child. You have to know the truth about your boy's father. You will give birth to an abomination."

"What do you mean?" Ami asked. Shion leaned in close to her face.

"You might not survive this," she whispered. "If you, I hope that you are still sane in the end." Ami's eyes widened as a sharp wind blew past her. Shion let go of her and faded away. The young mother-to-be fell backwards on her bed. Something about the woman's words rang deep inside of her.

* * *

"Ami, are you up yet?" Lavi asked hours later as he poked his head into her room. He froze when he saw the tired look on the baby mama's face.

"Ami?" he asked. "Ami, what's the matter?"

"Please tell me the truth," she murmured. The angel went pale as his eyes widened.

"What?" he asked. Ami drew her knees to her chest.

"What exactly are you?" she asked. The angel dropped to his knees as he could see what would come next. How did it come to this?


	18. Kit

Key Seventeen: Kit:

He remembered the good times with her. There was two moments that he was happy.

They lived in now what he was convinced was the 1960's. They weren't rich and their relationship was frowned upon. Because she was a black woman, the couple found themselves isolated. But, he didn't care. He looked forward to the day that he could shout about his marriage at the top of his lungs to the world. She on the other hand feared what would happen to them in the here and now.

"I don't care about what they think," he said. "I love you and you love me, that is all that matters." She made his life that much better. It didn't matter if they were rich or not. Bits and pieces of his human life started to come back to him as he put together a happy picture of married life. They had a nice house near the country. He was convinced that they were American for some reason. He couldn't tell exactly where they were from. Their kitchen was the biggest room in the whole house. He could see the giant windows in the front of the house with their thin red curtains.

She waited for him there. Every single night he saw her in the window. No matter how crappy his night was, he cheered up when he pulled into the driveway. She could see him too.

"I'm home," he would greet her as soon as he walked through the door.

"Welcome home," she would reply. He wished for once that they would have dinner together at least once.

"How was your night?" she asked. He threw back his head and groaned.

"I don't want to talk about it!" he complained. He walked over to a small table by the front door and he picked up his wedding band in a glass bowl. Their marriage had to be kept well-hidden. He wanted to shout about his love about his wife to the top of the world.

"I don't want us to get killed," she told him. He had no choice but to drop his shoulders and go with her. He poked his head into the kitchen.

"And how was your day?" he asked.

"Boring," she said. "I get so lonely when you leave." He walked up behind her and grabbed onto her.

"Well, I'm here now," he purred in her ear. She shivered as he kissed on the neck.

"Baby, you haven't had dinner yet," she said. He nibbled on her earlobe. His fingers slipped down into her skirt. She let off a small gasp. So smooth, so slick.

"That's not what I'm hungry for," he purred. He dragged her back to their bedroom. He loved to be swallowed up her bliss. Everything about her in bed never failed to excite him. She lay underneath him, looking up at him like an innocent little kitten. He rolled off his shirt. They already know what's coming next. Still, it never ceases to bore him. Her skin reminded him of silk and baby powder.

"Are you sure this is okay?" she asked.

"Of course it is," he said. He leaned down and kissed her again. This part always made his night that much more bearable. It made him want to remember more of his life with her. How did they meet? Who pursued whom first? Who proposed? Was he her first? How long were they married? Did they have any children? How many did they have? Were they still human? Were they even still alive? Did she and him have grandchildren? What became of him and her? Did they divorce? Did he ended up widowed?

The more he thought, the more he didn't have the pieces to the puzzle.

There was a second time too. Now that he thought about it, was she the same woman as before? It didn't matter at the time. He saw her a someone who needed to be protected. Her giant white wings made her a target. She wasn't allowed to go outside of the run-down hotel they made their home. He kept her in room 255. He saw to her needs to the best that he could. Seeing her face again warmed up something inside of him. Would she remember anything about herself?

"What's the last thing you remember?" he asked as she sat on the stiff bed. She slowly shook her head.

"Here," he said as he handed her a bottle of liquid. She looked down at the small opening.

"Oh, don't worry about it," he said. "It's something I found in the bar downstairs. It's not poisonous, I think." She took a sniff of the bottle. Her face wrinkled up into mild disgust.

"I know it's not the best," he said. "You don't have to have it right now, if you don't want." She held the bottle in her lap.

"If you need anything else, just let me know," he said. She didn't look up from her bottle. He couldn't take his eyes off of her. He wanted to say something, but closed his mouth. Why ruin this moment? Before, he had to fend for himself. He lost his wings a long time ago. He didn't remember when he was a human or how he got here. After he lost his wings, he hid from the hunter dogs. He lay still in the mud and used abandoned buildings as cover. She somehow made this hotel much more bearable.

He wished that his days could go on forever like this. But unlike when he was human, he remembered what happened to her. Reliving that day made his heart ache.

He couldn't remember the exact day, but it was raining that morning. He was supposed to go on a quick hunt for supplies. She insisted on coming with him.

"I don't think this is a good idea," he said. She cuddled up against his arm.

"But I am so bored," she said. "I'm so tired of just sitting around in that hotel room all day. Please let me come with you?" He sighed and rolled back his shoulders.

"Fine," he said. "How could I say no to such a face?" He probably should've that day. Did the monsters have come out looking for angels for their Tower? That day, the clouds became darker. She grabbed onto his arm.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Maybe we should go back," she said, looking up at the sky. He took a look at the clouds himself.

"We can do this really quick and hide until it passes over," he said. He tried to sound brave, but his tone wasn't so convincing. She trembled at his side. They probably should've looked behind them as they walked. They had only gotten to the sixth circle before the storm grew worse. He squeezed her hand as tightly as he could. The walk couldn't have lasted long, six minutes top.

By the time he turned around, she was gone. The last time he saw her was her feet dangling in the blackened clouds as she disappeared view. He couldn't fly up and get her back. The sand seemed to sprout hands and pull him to the ground. He could barely hear her screaming out to him. When she disappeared appeared, the clouds lightened up to the dim gray sky.

Hot tears spilled from his eyes.

* * *

He awoke to see Grace sitting in front of him.

"Gah!" he said.

"You slept well?" she asked. He stared blankly at her.

"Hm?" he asked. Grace tilted her head.

"Are you feeling okay?" she asked. He shook his head.

"Yeah," he lied. "Where are we going to go now?" He leapt to his feet and began walking further west. Grace stared at him with a tinge of worry turning in her heart.

"Which way are we supposed to be going?" he shouted up ahead.

"Oh, hang on!" Grace yelled. She raced to catch up with her companion.


	19. Marion

Key Eighteen: Marion:

She didn't used to be so cold. She once had dreams in her human life. Ha, human life. She didn't believe in that such a thing existed. Or at least she used to. The more she thought about it, the more she had to ask questions. Those questions led to images in her mind.

She remembered a pier. She stood, overlooking the sea. At the time, she was waiting for someone. A lover, perhaps. She couldn't remember. The summer pier wind blew through her long dark hair. She wore her favorite red dress today.

Someone did show up on that pier. Or was that a dream. She couldn't be sure anymore.

-Present Day-

"Marion?"

"Hm?"

"Are you crying?"

"Huh?" She reached up and wiped away a tear from her cheek. "It's nothing. You're seeing things!"

"You're starting to remember when you were human, aren't you?"

"No."

Alma gently touched her shoulder. "It's okay. I started to remember mine for a long time. I think I was married when I was a human."

She snorted and rolled her eyes. "Ridiculous."

"Is it though?"

She lowered her eyes. "Uh well…" She saw herself on the pier again. The sun kissed her pale skin. She could feel a gentle breeze blowing through her long dark hair. This had to been in summer. The seagulls made their cries in the distance. What was she going to do with the person she was waiting for that day?

Alma looked her in the eye. "What is happening to us?"

She shook her head. "I don't know."

"I don't know how I feel about this."

"Neither do I." She had a dream when she was a human. She believed it had something to do with clothes. Own a store? Design her own clothes? Model? She doubted the last option. Maybe the first two were combined. It hurt her brain to find the answer. Besides, her dream didn't pan out like she had hoped.

Something bad must have happened. In fact, she was sure of it.

Why else would working Paradise feel so familiar to her? But how did she end up in the City and the Tower? She dug in her mind many times, but the answer always came up blurry.

"How did we end up in this whole mess?" Alma asked. She shook her head.

"I can't tell you," she said. "We ended up captured and being used." Alma shivered as she lay beside her. She looked up at the ceiling.  _I don't like this._

She tried not to look into Alma's big brown eyes. Why did she have to rely on her so much?

"Alma," she said.

"Hm?" the other angel asked. She pulled Alma into a tighter embrace.

"Why do you hang onto me so much?"

"You seem so brave."

"Do I really?"

"Yes."

"Heh." Her being braver? She didn't know whether to laugh or cry. She would usually push away the weaker angels around her. Better to rot away self-destruct alone, right? But Alma wouldn't give up on staying by her side. In the end, she had to let the younger angel stay by her side.

"You know that one day I might have to betray you in order to survive, right?" she asked. Alma shook her head.

"I don't think you will," she said.

"And what makes you say that?"

"Because… you are too lonely to do so."

She all but laughed at the suggestion. "Me? Lonely?"

"I know how women like are."

"Heh."

"What was that for?"

"There is so much that you don't know about me, my dear."

Alma rested her head again her flat chest. "I want to get to know you."

"Why would you do that?"

The other angel looked away, blushing. "I have grown quite attached to you over these years."

She snorted. "Why?"

"I don't really know how to explain it myself."

"You are a strange one, Alma."

_Does there have to be a reason for love?_

She glanced behind her with her eyebrow raised. "Oh, it's you again. Are you back to talk me into escaping again, Leda?"


	20. Grace

Key Nineteen: Grace:

She spent all of her life surviving. She had to survive while looking for the rest of the Escape Party. She had to survive during the first escape attempt. She had survived escaping her from her partner in Fallen City. She had to survive with her partner in the City. She had to survive ending up in the same City. She had to survive during the war. She had to survive when the Apocalypse arrived. She even had to survive her human life.

She just wanted to collapse and fall asleep for a long time. But, a certain someone wouldn't let her do that.

"Why did you choose to tag along with us?" Kit asked.

"What?" she asked.

"You still won't tell me anything about yourself. You barely say anything at all. Help me out here."

She threw back her head and groaned. "This again?"

"I'm serious. I have so many questions about you. I really do want to get to know you."

For the longest time, she's dodged every question about her. By now, Kit was starting to lose his patience. She rolled back her shoulders.

"You really want to know more about me?" she asked.

"Yes," he said.

"I don't understand why."

"Because I…" A high wind blew over as he spoke. She tilted her head and narrowed her eyes.

"What did you say?" she asked. Kit's face turned bright red. He clenched his fists at his sides.

"I think I really like you!" he shouted. Grace gave him a confused stare for twenty seconds.

"Are you stupid?" she asked. She's heard this before. Those words came from a boy in Massachusetts. At least she thought it was from Massachusetts. He always was there for her. He tried to reach out to her. But, she never understood his motives. She didn't have the full picture. She did have a guess that she turned him down.

Kit turned his head away. "Never mind. Forget I said anything!" He walked past her.

"Kit, wait!" she shouted, turning around. He looked over his shoulder at her.

"I don't like to talk about myself that much," she admitted. "Too many… I have too many bad memories."

"I can understand that," Kit said. "Just answer me this."

"What?"

"Do you have your memories as a human back?"

She froze as the question lingered in her brain. The color drained from her face as her mind went back to a darker place.

"Papa," she murmured.

"Grace? Grace?" Kit asked, shaking her shoulder. Images in her head played on repeat as she started breathing heavily.

* * *

She could see pitch black around. A big stuffed teddy bear sat in the corner staring at her with its lifeless eyes. Only a single window without curtains broke the illusion of being trapped. She drew her knees to her chest. She hated nights like this. He was going to be back. She counted down his steps.

Just like that, she heard the door opening. She can't hide in the close like she did last time. He pulled out of the closet last time. But, tonight was going to be different.

Here he came in all drunk.

"Gracey! Gracey!" His growls made her think of a demon. She clutched the handle of the knife by her side.  _Come at me, you bastard! I won't let you hurt me anymore!_

He spotted her in the dark.

"Gracey!" he yelled. He ran towards her. She let out a choked up scream. Everything disappeared into a blur from there until the end. Red. Red everywhere. Stab. Fifteen stabs to his body. He didn't make a sound. His twisted grin on his face would haunt her for the rest of her life.

She didn't stop there.

Before the sun rose, the house was covered in blood. Five bodies inside. She wandered to the front door in a daze covered in blood. She sat down on the front step. The knife lay on the kitchen floor.

She would not be found until hours later.

* * *

-Reality-

"Grace! Grace!" Kit shouted. He grabbed her on the shoulder. She looked up and slapped his arm away.

"Don't touch me!" she screamed. She stood back, panting. Kit tilted his head.

"Are you okay?" he asked. She quickly shook her head.

"Please… Just… Don't…" she said. Kit watched as she wandered off. She shivered as she grabbed her arm.

"Grace?" she heard behind her. She felt like she was walking up to a noose.


	21. Tyki

Key Twenty: Tyki:

He knows they are up to something. The doctor glared over at his chained up angel.

"What is going on in that head of yours?" he asked. Leda smirked, but said nothing. The doctor looked her deep in the eyes.

"I don't like when you smirk like that," he said.

"Why?" she asked. The doctor snorted.

"Don't mock me," he said. "It's not cute." They always play this game. She and him could predict what was coming next.

"Stop smirking like that, it's not cute," he said. She didn't dare to stick out her tongue. Last time she did that, the good doctor shock with a cattle prod. He walked over to the cage.

"I don't like what game you are trying to pull," he hissed. She raised her eyebrow.

"Oh?" she asked. He counted down to what he was going to say next.

"Why do I even do this with you?" the doctor asked.

"I could ask you the same thing," she said. It's like she dares him to attack her. She's counting on it, in fact.

"You are expecting me to hurt you in some way, aren't you?" he asked. "You are counting on it. I can see it in your eyes." He reached into the cage and took her by the cheeks. She glared at him. The doctor wanted to spit in her face.

"Such an ugly bitch," he muttered. She stared back at him. The doctor let go of her cheeks.

"You don't think I don't what you have doing?" he asked. "Don't try to deny it either." She narrowed her eyes at her captor. The doctor sat on down on the stool in front of her and lit up a cigarette. He couldn't figure out how her powers worked yet. How were powers connected to their wings? The doctor's eyes trailed to the feathers of her wings. The chains tangled up with them had a strange appeal to them. She glared at him.

"Such an ugly face," he commented. She mouthed something at him. The doctor raised his eyebrow.

"Hm?" he asked. She lifted her head.

"Fuck you, asshole!" she screamed. He clicked his tongue at her.

* * *

She's stuck in his stalemate. They dare each other to blink and move. She doesn't have time for his games. There's an escape plan that needed to be acted on. So far, she reached out to Tyrone and Marion. She had to keep trying. But, there was a problem.

Lately, she felt a crawling feeling up her spine. The best she could describe it was spiders crawling up her back. Each time she used her power, it felt like something was stabbing her in the back with little needles.

_This has never happened before._

Like hell she would ask her abuse, but he seemed to already know the answer. She learned when she saw him smirking and trying not to laugh.

"What?" she asked.

"Oh nothing," he said. "It's just…"

"What?"

He flicked out his cigarette. "Any tingles lately?"

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Why?"

"You wouldn't have this problem if you weren't using your power so much."

"I don't know what you are talking about."

"Oh come off it. Don't play dumb. You're trying to reach out to other angels. I have a guess why, but that isn't the point. We're talking about what's happening to your body right now."

"Have you been keeping tabs on me?"

"I must, remember?"

She curled her nose at how spot-on he was. She gritted her teeth and glared at him as he flicked out his cigarette.

"Well, go on," he said. "Ask me what it is going on with your power."

"No," she hissed.

"Okay then. That will be you then." He sits there, smoking. She raised her eyebrow.

"That's it?" she asked.

"Yeah," he said. "You don't want to ask, I won't answer. You can just keep suffering on this path that you are on. He took another smoke of his cigarette. Was this another game to him? She frowned as more questions began to form in her head. He's got her in another game.

"No, I don't know all of the details," he said. "But I have a pretty good guess."

"Ha! A guess? That all you have?" she asked. He shrugged his shoulders.

"Hey, take it or leave it," he said. She wrinkled her nose.

"I won't fall for your shit."

"Think what you want. Just enjoy the pain in your back as you talk to other angels in this Tower." The good doctor paused. "Or should I say the Tower  _and_  City." The bell on the door started to ring.

"Ah," he said. "My patients are here." The doctor stood up and snubbed out his cigarette. "We'll talk later." She glared at him as the door slid shut.

How did she let him get the better of her again?

* * *

He's on to her now. He can see the trail of her plan. The pain she feels in her body is the proof that he needs. The question now becomes how does he derail her plans. In the meantime, their personal war continued.


	22. Crash

Key Twenty-One: Crash:

So, what was the Great Crash? How did that happen?

-Three Years Ago-

How long had this war been going on? The angels didn't know what else to do at this point. Some even doubted that this war would ever end. Allen became one of the few who questioned the war's motives.

There had been no activity lately. The angels felt that it was too quiet around them. Allen couldn't help but get the feeling that something bad was about to happen. He couldn't stop looking at the skies.

"Hey!" someone yelled as they slapped him on the back. The angel nearly fell out of place. He turned to see Lavi grinning at him.

"Relax, we have it easy today," he said. Allen made himself smile.

"Sure," he said. The red-haired angel gave him an odd look.

"What's the matter?" he asked. Allen shrugged and shook his head.

"Why are we doing this?" he asked.

"What do you mean?" Lavi asked.

"I can't quite put my finger on it," Allen said. "It's kind of hard to explain, but I can't help but wonder what we are really doing this for."

"Oh?" the red-haired angel asked. The white-haired angel rubbed the back of his head.

"It's probably nothing," he said. "Maybe I'm just thinking too much. It's been too quiet lately."

"Yes," Lavi said, nodding. "I don't like it one bit."

* * *

-10:21 a.m.-

It started when the sky got darker.

An angel private looked up, squinting.

"Guys," he said. "Something's wrong." The other angels didn't hear him because they found themselves rather distracted. One of the tech angels looked at the green lines on the screen moving up and erratically.

"Sir," he said. "Is it supposed to do that?" One of the generals looked over his shoulder. He took off his glasses and adjusted them before squinting his eyes.

"No…" he said. Lavi looked up.

"What is that smell?" he asked. The other angels looked up and took a smell.

"I don't know," the general said. "It reminds me of leaking gas." He winced at the sound of a high-pitched whistle sailing in the sky.

"Are you okay?" Allen asked. The sound hit his ears, causing him pain as well.

"Gah!" he shouted. He looked to see the other angel wincing in pain from the sound. When he glanced up at the sky, the clouds started getting heavier. But, he couldn't see anything else in the sky.

"Are we under attack?" he asked.

"I don't know!" the general yelled back. Allen could barely hear him over the whistling. The angel could feel his eyes watering as the sound lingered on. Through his pain, he could feel a prickly sensation running down his spine. Before he could grasp what was unfolding, the first wave came.

Ten days. Ten days the Great Crash lasted. The angels couldn't tell. The first wave brought fire. The blinding lights in every direction made it difficult to fight back. This wasn't how the enemy normally fought. But, it didn't seem like they changed tactics so suddenly. Allen, Lavi, and most of the angels weren't sure if this was the same enemy they had been fighting for years.

"Call for back-up!" the general yelled.

"It's no use!" the tech angel cried. "We can't reach them!"

"What?!" the older angel asked. The wall of flames prevented him from walking over to the monitors. A bolt of lightning rained down from the sky.

"What now?" the general asked as he looked up. More bolt of lightning struck the ground. Some hit quite a number of angels, killing them instantly. The rest tried to dodge them while looking for the source of the fire. Lavi used the ground and the fire to his advance with his hammer. It didn't help that he couldn't see where he was aiming.

"You might kill us all!" a female angel yelled.

"It's better than standing around being sitting ducks!" Lavi shouted back.

"Good point!" she yelled. She picked up her bow and started shooting. Those fighting fought without direction. What choice did they have? This fire storm had them at an advantage. The lighting increased in number and strength.

"Fuck!" another angel shouted. "Where does this all keep coming from?"

"I don't know!" the general shouted. "But we can't give up until we find a way out!" He managed to dodge a lightning bolt just in time. Allen happened to turn around to catch a strange sight.

"What are those?" he asked. Ton of dragonflies started floating around them. They darted by so quickly that the angels fighting couldn't see them. Some of them started to feel pain in different places of their bodies where the dragonflies landed. Their cries were drowned out by the fire. Allen looked around as the fireflies kept increasing.

"Everyone!" he shouted. "Watch out for the dragonflies!" Lavi turned his head.

"What dragonflies?" he asked. One zipped by his left cheek. Blood ran down the skin. His question confused Allen even further. What was going on here? This really didn't feel like the enemy from before.

"Any luck with reinforcements?" the general asked.

"No!" the tech angel shouted. "We can't get through." A nick appeared on his nape. The general's face was all covered in cuts. There looked to be no end to the fire. They angels left fighting couldn't even find the source. Allen could barely remain standing. The air around him grew harder to breathe.

"We can't even see the enemy!" Lavi complained. The angels struggled to keep their strength up. Lavi himself stood panting. A female angel leaned against his body.

"Get off," he said. "I don't have the strength to fight and hold you up."

"I would stand on my own, but I can't hold up anymore," she said back. "Sorry if my legs are too weak." Her skin looked like raw meat with so many cuts. Lavi had mostly healed, but new cuts formed on his skin.

"How many arrows do you have left?" he asked.

"I don't know," she said, panting. "I think about fifteen. I could put up some of the fallen ones off of the ground and use those." The female angel glanced over at the red-haired angel.

"A little help," she said. "Please? Do you mind?" Lavi used his back and shoulders to push her up right.

"Cheers," she said. The angel walked over to the fallen arrows like she had too much to drink.

"Be careful!" Lavi shouted at her back. The female angel stuck up her thumb at him. Meanwhile, Allen looked around for the source. Five days in and no sign of the enemy. The fire, lighting, and dragonflies didn't stop. Around day three, Allen thought he saw a face in the wall of fire. He only caught a quick glimpse before being dragged back into the fighting. The angel didn't see that face again.

"Allen!" Lavi shouted. The white-haired angel turned around. His friend shouted something else at him, but the fire drowned out his voice.

"What?" Allen asked. A wave of fire burst up from the ground, forcing him to step backwards. His eyes widened at the sudden change in pattern. Something else looked different about the flames. Allen reached out his hand.

_Huh? There's no heat in this flame?_

"Lavi!" Allen shouted. Another hissing noise rang through the air. The angel grabbed his head, screaming with pain.

"My head! Who's causing this?!" he cried. Then came another high-pitched whistling noise. But the time Allen looked up, it was too late. His eyes grew to the size of dinner plates.

"What the hell is that?!" he asked through his pain. A giant ball of light came sailing down towards the battlefield. There was no time to react. The light came hurling down faster than Allen could keep up. By the time the other angels looked up…

Boom!

For three days, everything was quiet. Not a single angel remained standing. Most of them were bodies. Some of them were broken beyond repair, their bodies covered in cuts. The monitors had stopped working a long time ago. The angels' flag was almost ripped away and stained with blood. The weapon lay broken in disarray. Some angels were still alive, but barely. Allen stared blankly at all of the dead bodies around him. He could barely move. His pain felt so sore. The angel wondered how long he and the other survivors going to be out here. Did the Dark Order forget about them? Allen's trailed up to the sky. So strange that it still looked dark. The angel didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

Something grabbed him by the ankle and dragged him away. Days later, shadowy figures came onto the ruined battlefield. Lavi crawled away to the road. What he didn't know was the figures were the angels from the Dark Order coming down to collect the bodies and survivors.

But, is this really the full story? There appear to have some details messing from the official reports. Three years later and now they are asking questions. The answers about the Great Crash might be the key to stopping this war.

Too bad there were angels in the Dark Order wanting to shut it all down.


End file.
